Undercover
by Locked Myself Up in a Room
Summary: Deidara is assigned to go undercover as Naruko in order to investigate a drug ring at her school. He suspects a student named Sasori, a fiesty redhead who may be the key to the investigation. Although Deidara tries to keep things professional, he is drawn to Sasori. He can't allow his feelings to get in the way of solving the crime -Modern world AU, SasoDei, cross-dressing Deidara
1. The New Assignment

Naruko excuses herself from the thick, boisterous crowd of the Night-Wing, telling her best friend Sakura that she needs some fresh air. Her head is buzzing slightly from the alcohol, she might have overdone things a bit. _Stupid_ she thinks to herself. She always gets caught up in the moment and never knows how to control herself, so when Sakura suggested a round of shots, of course Naruko had to join in…again and again.

Naruko leans against the wall outside, basking in the cool, crisp winter air. She just needs a moment or two to collect herself before going back into the hazy, chaotic, loud bar. A deep breath escapes her lips slowly, and she already feels much better. She's about to head back inside when she feels a pair of rough hands on her waist.

"Hey, what the-!"

"Hey there pretty lady," a cool, low voice emits from the tall, nearly skeletal figure in front of her. He has silver slicked back hair and a cocky, nearly vicious grin. Naruko doesn't like the looks of this guy.

"What?" Naruko asks coldly, extricating herself from his grasp.

"You're partying in there, aren't you? Wouldn't you like to make the experience a bit more fun?" he asks.

"I'm okay," Naruko says, "I don't need to buy any drugs off of you."

"You haven't even listened to what I'm offering. It's unlike anything you've ever tried before, I can guarantee you that. There's no crash after the effects wear off, and it makes you feel like you're floating on a cloud," the man is persistent, and Naruko is desperate to get away. She steps back towards the door, about to bolt before his hands grab her wrist again.

"Let me go! I don't want your drug!" Naruko yells.

"I'll take it with you pretty girl, then you'll see how amazing it is! I won't let you get hurt," the man won't quit, he's being so pushy that Naruko fears for her life. She kicks up, no longer wanting to argue with words. If he won't listen to a simple 'no,' then she'll have to resort to kicking and punching her way out of this one.

Unfortunately, Naruko's reflexes are slowed due to the high consumption of alcohol. Therefore, she doesn't react in time when the man stops her foot with his hand and kicks back at her, hitting her square in the chest and knocking out all the air from her lungs. She flops down hard into the ground, blackness dancing across her vision for a split second before the man is on top of her again, breathing down his stinking breath over her face. "You should've just listened to me," he nearly spits at her. His fist is a mere inch away from her face, and she can just make out the orange ring on his index finger bearing some sort of insignia on it. But instead of punching her face, he punches her chest again, and Naruko blinks back sharp tears as pain engulfs her entire body. A sickening cracking noise erupts through the air, and breathing suddenly becomes a very difficult task for Naruko.

"That's enough Hidan!" another voice calls from somewhere in the shadows. Naruko can barely keep conscious at this point, her ears are ringing and there's still a hint of something black along the edges of her vision. "You said you'd use scare tactics to sell, not violence."

"Same difference," Hidan, Naruko's attacker, says while getting up.

Naruko watches a pair of dark hands pull Hidan away, and then the two drug dealers are running out into the streets, leaving her alone in the cold, dark alleyway, a few inches from the back door to the bar…if only she could get up and reach the handle, or call for help…

Feeling like her chest is on fire, she crawls her way to the door and knocks harshly, until the skin on her knuckles become red and chaffed. The door finally opens and the manager of the club finds her there, nearly unconscious. Naruko smiles up at the face of her rescuer before shutting her eyes to the pain in her side and allowing the blackness take over.

/

"What is the current condition of the victim?" one officer wants to know out of curiosity.

"Naruko will survive, she suffered a few broken ribs and lost the skin on her knuckles from knocking on the door for so long. She's currently in the hospital and will remain there until she's better, and then placed under our supervision for the remainder of this undercover investigation," Tsunade reports.

Deidara nods, taking all this information in and trying to get a handle on it all. It seems that she was simply beat up by a drug dealer for not wanting to buy whatever he was selling, but there's always something more to the story when one reads in between the lines. Deidara wants to know why this drug dealer was so insistent, why didn't he give up when it was obvious that the woman didn't want his merchandise? And who was the other person with him? Is this the start of a new gang? There are many questions yet to be answered, which is why his team was given this assignment.

Deidara is still fresh out of the police academy, and has only worked a few undercover missions, many of which were low-key compared to this one. He's only 25 years old, and still has what many would call a 'young face,' so he's eager to find out what his assignment will be with this case. More than likely, he will be posing as a student at the college that Naruko attends.

"Alright, the mission is pretty straight forward. You'll be infiltrating the university to find out information about this drug that they were selling, and who the perpetrators are. We know the name of the one who beat up Naruko, his partner called him 'Hidan.' We also know that he wore an orange ring on his left index finger and was tall and built, with grayish-silver hair. It shouldn't be hard to scope him out and find the rest of his members. We'll have to find out what type of drugs these guys are handling and if it has any association with the substances we've been finding around other campuses," Tsunade explains.

Deidara nods again, remembering their discussion about this drug that has started popping up in various college campus locations. It's strange really, there has to be some big drug lord behind it all, but the DEA have come up empty handed so far. Tsunade continues, "Naruko's guardian, Iruka, is paying us a lot of money to find and capture the guy that hurt her, and to ultimately take out all the offenders, assuming there are more than just the two that attacked her. Based on what information we've gathered, it's likely that this is a rising gang of drug dealers on campus, and all of them seem pushy and desperate to get rid of their drugs…I have a feeling that something bigger is pulling the strings here, and it's our job to find out what or who that is. Now," Deidara perks up, "for your assignments. Here's your file Jiraiya."

The elder man opens it eagerly and says, "a teacher-assistant, of course. Do you really think the staff at school will have any information?"

"They'll know what kind of students are suspicious, and you'll have access to all the students' records. There will be much valuable information for us in there I'm sure. And here you go Deidara," Tsunade finally hands over a large folder to Deidara, who opens it excitedly.

He's confused by the contents inside, "this is the victim's file…why do I have this un?" He sees Naruko's sunshine smile staring at him, the picture full of her whiskered cheeks and massive blonde ponytails. All her information is laid out neatly in the papers, and Deidara doesn't understand.

"You'll be posing as Ms. Naruko Uzumaki for this case," Tsunade says.

"B-but I'm a man," Deidara says.

"We've kept the details of Naruko's incident silent, so the only ones who know about it are her best friend Sakura and her boyfriend Sasuke. Naruko is still in no condition to come back to school, and Iruka has petitioned for her to home school for the upcoming spring semester while you take her place undercover. Sasuke and Sakura both know about the operation and are willing to cooperate with these terms," Tsunade says.

"That still doesn't explain why I was chosen to be Naruko!" Deidara yells. Jiraiya is laughing hysterically next to him.

"Well…if I put it bluntly, you and Naruko both share very similar traits," Tsunade says.

"Wh-what traits un!?"

"Blonde long hair, blue eyes, roughly the same height, and a…feminine figure," Tsunade says, narrowing her eyes at Jiraiya as he practically rolls on the floor with laughter. "Enough Jiraiya, you are honestly such a child sometimes."

"Feminine figure!? Is this because I'm gay?" Deidara asks, incredulous.

"No, don't say such a foolish thing. You knew profiling was part of the job as an undercover cop. You'll take the assignment with no further questions, do you understand!?" Tsunade became scary all of a sudden, so Deidara nods, not wanting to push her buttons even more.

 _Still,_ he thinks to himself, _I can't believe I have to pretend to be a college girl for this assignment! So embarrassing!_

….

In a way, it's lucky for the undercover team that the incident happened at the start of winter break. They have time to gather resources and prepare for their case before setting out on campus. Deidara meets with Naruko in the hospital the day after his assignment. He needs to gather more intel from her as well as learn some of her habits and behaviors.

Naruko sits upright in the hospital bed, looking somewhat bored. Her face brightens when she sees Deidara walk in to visit. He's dressed in his normal clothes; if the wrong person saw a bunch of uniformed cops visiting Naruko, it would raise suspicion. Part of being an undercover cop is keeping a low profile at all times.

"You must be Deidara, ya know!" Naruko chimes. _Oh great,_ Deidara sighs internally, _do I have to act that uppity and cheerful all the time as her?_

"Yes, nice to meet you un. Sorry to hear about what happened," Deidara says as he shakes her hand.

"It's okay. I'm alright really," Naruko says, "I just wish I could do something about the whole situation. I'd like to be the one to find all the bad guys ya know."

"All we need for you to do is relax and heal up and leave it to us," Deidara assures her. "We'll make sure to take care of everything on our end hm."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So you're really going to pretend to be me?" Naruko asks, eyes wide.

"Yes, that's the assignment I was given," Deidara says, trying not to sound bitter in front of the victim.

"Wow, I hope make up does a good job, you look nothing like me ya know," Naruko says bluntly.

Deidara chuckles a little at that, he was just thinking the same thing a few moments ago. "So Naruko, is there anything I should know about you? It looks like you have a verbal tic that I'll have to get used to using un."

"And you'll have to drop that 'un' stuff yourself ya know," Naruko says back.

"Oh um yeah," Deidara flinches, he says 'un' and 'hm' so often he doesn't even register that he's doing it anymore. This might be trickier than he thought. He decides to change the subject, "can I ask about those whisker marks on your cheeks? How did that happen?"

"It's a birthmark," Naruko states proudly.

"A birthmark!?" Deidara has never seen anything like it. It looks like fox-whiskers, splayed perfectly across her cheeks.

"Well…one of them was…I got the rest tattooed on when I turned 16 ya know," Naruko admits. "But I like to tell everyone it's a birthmark."

"So, you were ashamed of the birthmark and decided to make it a unique marking instead hm?" Deidara asks her.

"Well, not exactly. I wasn't embarrassed of the mark, but I've always wanted to stand out, ya know? I used to be called a loser a lot when I was little…and I'm trying to prove to those who said that I'd never amount to anything wrong." Passion erupts in her blue eyes, a burning willpower like fire.

"Wow, you're pretty determined for someone so young un," Deidara says. He's starting to like her more as he speaks with her. "What do you want to do after you graduate?"

"I want to become the principal of my old high school, I want to enact true change there and inspire hope in the hearts of the young children." It's an honest dream, one that she shares with pride. Deidara smiles, he hasn't seen someone this determined about the future in a long time. Just speaking to her brings hope to his own heart that she can truly make a difference.

"I'm sure you'll be great. For now though, you'll have to sit back and focus on your studies at home, and let the cops be in the spotlight. Your time will come someday un," Deidara says.

"Yeah, I know," Naruko says.

"So anyways, I would like to ask a few details about the incident if that's alright?" Deidara inquires, going into professional mode again.

"Sure, although I've already told the story about 100 times ya know."

"I know, I just want to hear firsthand what happened," Deidara says.

"Well, I was already pretty buzzed if you want to know the truth. Sakura and I were celebrating the end of the semester, we had just finished our final exams for the fall semester and wanted to do something fun," Naruko explains.

"Yes, of course. Why wasn't your boyfriend Sasuke there?" Deidara wonders.

"He had one last assignment to finish still, so he stayed home to work on that. Besides, he isn't really the type to go out and party ya know?" Naruko smiles as she talks about Sasuke.

"What about you? Do you go out often un?"

"I guess I'm a social butterfly, you could say. He's more of the quiet, introverted type. But he and I get along just fine, we've known each other since we were very little. Anyways, I was at the Night-Wing bar dancing and drinking with Sakura, and I felt hot and too dizzy, so I went out back to get some air ya know. It was cold outside, so the cool breeze felt good. I was just about to go back inside when this guy grabbed me and started trying to push his drug on me even though I told him no. Naturally, I kicked my leg at him, but since I was tipsy, it didn't work out quite as I had hoped ya know," Naruko relays.

"What did this man look like? Do you remember?"

"He was tall with whitish hair that was slick back. He was skinny, with dark eyes. He had a dark jacket on and then there was that ring he wore on his left hand. It was orange and had a weird symbol," Naruko says.

"What kind of symbol?"

"Um, it was kinda like a black dot in the middle, with three black rings circling it…but I only saw it for a few seconds ya know," Naruko explains.

"Perfect, that's great. Thank you for telling me. I'm glad you remembered all that detail, any piece of information could be helpful for us un," Deidara thanks her and is about to step out of the hospital room, when a new figure appears in the doorway.

He has dark, black hair and a distrusting expression written on his face. He stands with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed, "who are you?"

Deidara feels his temple pulse, he does not enjoy being spoken to in such an insolent tone, "I am Deidara," he introduces, holding his hand out.

The stranger doesn't take it. He merely walks over to Naruko's bed and stands next to her. "Sasuke, this is the man who's going to be me for the semester!" Naruko tells him brightly.

"I know," Sasuke says curtly.

Naruko rolls her eyes at him, "Cheer up, I told you, you can still come visit the real me all the time ya know!"

"I don't like that I'll have to live with _him_ though," Sasuke says.

"Wait, you two live together?" Deidara asks. This was a detail that Tsunade had failed to mention to him.

"Yes. We just moved in together at the beginning of the fall semester!" Naruko says excitedly.

Deidara groans internally. He's going to have to pretend to be a girl and he's going to have to live with this sullen, grouchy boy for an entire school semester! Could things get worse?

…

Apparently, they _could_ get worse.

Deidara bites his bottom lip as Tenten slides a razor up the last stripe of hair on his legs, finally ending this miserable experience. Tenten used quite a lot of shaving cream, so it didn't hurt too much, but watching his manhood get stripped away, layer by layer, was a little disconcerting for Deidara. He now has a newfound respect for all the men who dress in drag, or for transgender women for that matter.

He has never felt so bare before. His armpits, legs and even _that_ area have all been shaved clean.

"What next un?" Deidara asks tentatively.

"Well, now's time for the –um- tricky part," Tenten admits.

"Shaving all my hair wasn't the tricky part?"

"Well, maybe. But now, we have to tuck you in," Tenten says as she reaches in her bag and pulls out some strange looking panties.

"Tuck? What do you mean? And what are those?" Deidara spits the questions out in rapid fire, pointing to the black panties that she holds.

"This is called a gaff. Basically, you'll be tucking your penis in between your thighs an-"

"What!? Oh man, this is too much un!" Deidara feels a little dizzy.

"You're the one who's an undercover cop!" Tenten spits back. "It won't hurt, but you need to hear all the steps before you try it."

Deidara bites his bottom lip again to keep from complaining as he listens to all the steps of 'tucking.' He then tries it out himself, hell would have to freeze over before he let anyone else tuck his package away between his thighs. After a few attempts, he gets the hang of it and begins to practice walking around with the gaff on. Tenten warns him not to get aroused, if he becomes erect then the tucking process won't work.

By the end of the 'turning into Naruko' experience, Deidara feels thoroughly exhausted and embarrassed with himself. He realizes that he has a long way to go before he's acting, talking and looking like a girl.


	2. The Rude Redhead

Over the course of the winter break, Deidara is slowly transformed into a look-alike Naruko. He takes a look at himself in the mirror on his first day of school, and barely recognizes himself in the reflection.

Sasuke has already left, grumbling under his breath about how ridiculous this plan is. Deidara moved in with him about a week ago, with a pile of women's clothing that fit him (Naruko's clothes were all a bit too small, but luckily the police funds paid for his new wardrobe for this mission). Deidara tried to make small talk with Sasuke, but he continued to be as cold as when he'd first met him in the hospital. Deidara eventually gave up and focused on learning his way around campus that week, making sure to walk to all of Naruko's classes and take mental note of where everything was. He got to know Sakura during that time too, and realized quickly that he preferred her presence over Sasuke's.

Sasuke wouldn't even let Deidara sleep in the same bed as him. Deidara understood, of course he could never replace Naruko, but it was still strange that they decided to set up a blow-up mattress in their shared living room. Deidara warned Sasuke that if they ever bring visitors, they'll have to hide the mattress as it would be too suspicious. People might think that Sasuke and Naruko are breaking up, and Deidara has to do everything he can to act like Naruko and try his best not to ruin her social life.

It is a cold January morning, but Deidara chose to wear long stockings and a skirt, as a skirt hides his 'package' much better than pants. Tight fitting pants like skinny jeans are hard to pull off without showing too much, so Deidara chose to wear something simple for his first day as Naruko.

His hair is tied in two piggy-tails on the top of his head, a style that Naruko often uses. Whiskers have been carefully penciled on his cheeks to match Naruko's tattoo. Deidara smiles into the mirror, feeling very unlike himself, but wanting to exude that happy-go-lucky attitude of Naruko's.

He takes a deep breath and heads out, thankful that Sasuke and Naruko's townhome is walking distance from campus. He tries to ignore the odd feeling of wearing a padded bra as he walks across the street and into the bustling school campus grounds. Being a woman sure takes a lot of work.

His first class today (or Naruko's first class) is history of education. As an education major, most of Naruko's classes are related to that field- history of education, classroom management, things like that. The only exception is a painting class, which Naruko says she decided to take as a stress reliever. Deidara doesn't care much for having to take any of these classes, but he's undercover as a student, so of course he has to attend.

The dean of the college of education as well as the president of the school are both aware of the undercover cops placed on their campus for this semester. Deidara will 'pass' the classes he's in no matter what, so he doesn't exactly have to listen. So instead, Deidara uses the time to scope out the students in each class, trying to pin anyone down who might be a possibly suspicious criminal.

The day goes by slowly, and he soon realizes that most of the students in Naruko's classes are typical college students. Not one of them raise any suspicion or seem like a 'troublesome character.' Of course, this doesn't rule anyone out, but Deidara has to start somewhere.

The first day passes by without any trace or sign of the drug or gang that they are looking for. A quick text from Jiraiya tells Deidara that he didn't find out anything yet either. Sometimes cops can be undercover for several months before they figure out a case. Deidara hopes that this one won't be one of those long term cases.

…

By Wednesday, Deidara feels a little frustrated that he hasn't found a lead on anything yet. He has been sitting outside with Sakura at various on-campus cafes, pretending to be interested in her conversations while he keeps his ears perked up for any useful information.

So far, he hasn't heard anything out of the ordinary or seen anything weird. He's been scoping for the Hidan person, but hasn't seen him around campus yet. A bit of digging before the start of the semester revealed that Hidan does indeed go to the same school as Naruko, but the campus is big and there are several students. The chances of running into him are quite slim.

Deidara sighs as he takes a seat in his mid-morning class, painting. This is the class that's supposed to be Naruko's stress reliever, and Deidara is actually a little grateful for it. He's always been interested in art, although his style differs somewhat from most people's preferences. He enjoys art that has a 'bang' to it, art that is fleeting and momentary. He doubts that he'll be able to express that type of artwork with painting, but he's eager to see what this class has to offer all the same.

Once seated, he takes his usual scope around the classroom, noting the various types of students in this class. One particular student catches his attention, although probably for the wrong reasons.

He has auburn hair and hazel eyes that look half-asleep, as though he's in a daze. He is staring out across the room, his eyes unwavering, a bored expression on his face. His skin is fair and he is lean, although not very tall. All in all, he's not very unique looking (aside from that messy red hair), but Deidara finds himself attracted to him. Maybe it's the way he stares unblinkingly, like he knows everything, or maybe it's the light tapping of his fingers, as though he's just as impatient for the class to start as Deidara is…but there's something about this person that Deidara immediately is drawn to.

Deidara blinks his gaze away and stares forward. He can't have some petty crush on a student now, that would be absurd. He needs to focus on this case.

But he can't help but notice that the red-haired student is staring at him. He even looks Deidara up and down, checking him out. Deidara tries his best to look straight ahead and ignore this.

The teacher soon arrives into the classroom, a feisty woman with curly brown locks and red eyes named Kurenai. As she talks, Deidara glances sideways at the redhead, noting that he is _still_ looking at him. Deidara turns his head to hide his blush.

Deidara focuses on trying to act more 'Naruko' like to ignore the student who is clearly checking him (well, her) out. When Kurenai asks a question, Deidara shoots his hand into the air and calls out the answer enthusiastically, trying his best to act like Naruko.

"Great response! What's your name?" Kurenai asks.

"I'm Naruko Uzumaki ya know!" Deidara says, maybe a little _too_ enthusiastically. A few students snicker behind Deidara and he tries his best not to turn and punch them. How does Naruko keep such an overwhelmingly positive attitude all the time?!

"Alright Naruko, well you are absolutely right," Kurenai goes on to further explain her point about the art piece she's talking about. Deidara took a few art classes when he was in college, so he figures this class will be a cinch.

He looks out of the corner of his eyes at the redhead again, just to see the student's reaction to Naruko's excited outburst. The redhead's eyes are narrowed with disgust, and he's looking at Deidara as though he's a pile of garbage. _Jeez,_ Deidara thinks, _that little bit of excitement seems to have really turned him off. I guess he doesn't like a teacher's pet or something._

Deidara is about to sigh in relief and look away, when he notices something. Right there, on the student's left thumb, is a purple ring. Deidara is too far away to get a good look, but he can see that it's a circular purple pendant, and it catches his attention like a moth to a flame. The hairs on his neck tingle unpleasantly, there's definitely something fishy about that ring. Could he be part of the gang with Hidan? Do all the members wear a different colored ring to indicate that they're in this gang?

Deidara turns his attention back to the teacher, but his mind is reeling. He has to find a way to somehow get a closer look at that ring in order to confirm his suspicions. He has an idea…and it definitely seems like something Naruko might do…but he really doesn't want to go through with it.

By the end of class though, Deidara has no better option than his original plan. So he boldly gets up and struts over to the red-haired student, zeroing in on him and trying his best to suppress the fact that he finds him to be extremely hot.

Deidara channels as much 'Naruko' as he can and says, "hello there."

The student raises an eyebrow and smirks, "hello Naruko." His hands are in his pockets, so Deidara will have to keep talking, he has to make this student pull his hands out so he can take a better look at that ring.

"Could you please not stare at me like that in class?" Deidara asks in his practiced higher pitched Naruko voice.

The student flinches and a flush crawls over his cheeks (which Deidara finds adorable), but he soon recovers, scowling at Deidara. "How dare you make an insinuation like that! Why would I be staring at some excitable teacher's pet?" So Deidara was right, this student finds Naruko annoying.

"I saw you looking me up and down, ya know!" Deidara screeches back, hoping that this student will finally take his hands out of his pockets. "And for your information, I already have a boyfriend."

"Alright lady, relax," the student finally takes his hands out and raises them up, as if in surrender. He places his hands on his desk, and Deidara glances down quickly at the ring, confirming his beliefs. "Is it really so bad for a guy to simply look at a girl? Besides, I caught you looking my direction too. I'm sure your boyfriend wouldn't like to hear that."

An instant blush covers Deidara's face, despite his best efforts to keep calm and professional. "Wh-what?"

The student laughs, "caught you off guard didn't I? Well honey, the next time you accuse somebody of something, you might want to make sure that you're not guilty of the same crime. Not that looking at anyone is a crime or anything. You're just being ridiculous, and hypocritical."

"Honey!?" Deidara is fuming now. He's never been called 'honey' before. But then again, he's never pretended to be a woman before now.

"Right, Naruko. You don't really seem like the type to take a joke too easily," the redhead gets up from his seat and walks around Deidara/Naruko. "Well anyways, I look forward to _not_ ever having to speak to you again. Bye."

And just like that, he walks off, tugging his bag over his shoulder and leaving the classroom without so much as glancing back at Deidara. Deidara is left standing there, feeling like he just got burned by this insolent younger student. He didn't even learn his name!

Although the encounter was anything from pleasant, he did find out the information he was seeking. The ring had a very unique design on it. A black dot with three black rings circling it, exactly as Naruko had described Hidan's ring.

There's no denying it; this redhead is somehow involved with Hidan and his group.

…

Deidara makes it a point to find out the redhead's name during their class the next week. If he can just figure out who he is, then Jiraiya can access the student files and start doing some digging on him. Perhaps perusing through his file will give them some sort of clue or hint as to what kind of person he is, and who his friends are. After that, they can connect the dots from there and track down this group of drug dealers.

Deidara comes in just a few seconds before class starts in order to pick a spot near the redhead. He rushes in right before the teacher and makes a beeline towards the redhead, pretending to be in such a rush that he didn't notice his presence.

Deidara even sighs under his breath and says "phew, I didn't think I'd make it on time…ya know," to no one in particular.

"Shut the hell up," the redhead snaps back instantly.

Deidara shoots daggers at him with his eyes, "I thought you weren't going to talk to me anymore…whoever you are."

"I wasn't. Why the hell did you sit so close to me? Are you really that interested in me?" the redhead shoots back quickly, his tongue as sharp as ever.

"I'm free to choose whichever seat I want, you ass," Deidara sneers back. He probably didn't need to call him an 'ass,' that was more of his own personality coming out rather than Naruko's…but this guy definitely deserves to be called an ass!

"Oho! Look at the balls on you miss Naruko," the redhead turns to raise a red eyebrow up at him, "No one ever dares to talk to me like that."

"Well I don't see why they hold their tongues! Besides," Deidara flips his hair back in a girlish manner, "I don't know your real name ya know."

"It's Sasori, peach," he says.

Deidara glares again, wishing he could burn him with laser vision. "Don't ever call me peach."

"It's ironic see, because you're not as sweet as a peach. Or honey for that matter," Sasori says snidely.

Deidara grunts and turns from him, trying not to say anything to incise him more. He got what he needed out of him – Sasori. So that's the jerk's name.

…..

"So the file on this Sasori that you requested didn't come up with anything significant," Jiraiya says on the other line.

"What? How could that be?" Deidara is sitting on his blow-up mattress in the living room while Sasuke sulks in his room, saying something earlier about needing to turn in early because of a big test the next day.

"He's a pretty good kid from what I can see. Good grades, straight A student in high school, art major with a minor in education, and no criminal history of any kind. This kid even worked part time at a grocery store in high school and did volunteer work too. I'm not sure how he could be related to any criminal activity," Jiraiya says.

"But the ring un!" Deidara yells, forgetting to drop his verbal tic.

"It's a ring. Maybe it has no connection to the perpetrators, maybe it's just a new popular fashion statement," Jiraiya says.

Deidara sighs, "if that was a new fashion statement I would know. It's definitely a sign."

"Hm, are you still as young and hip as a college student?" Jiraiya teases.

"Shut up, I go out sometimes. I'm definitely more in tune to what's cool these days than you are old man," Deidara quips back.

"Hm, I know more than you think. I'm quite popular with the ladies you know," Jiraiya is quick to defend himself.

"Haha, all the ladies except Tsunade, your crush," Deidara smirks to himself as the line is quiet for a moment. Jiraiya apparently had no good comebacks to that. "Anyways," Deidara gets back to the matter at hand, "you really didn't find anything suspicious? Anything at all?"

"I'm telling you, I did a thorough scope on him and nothing came up. If you really suspect him, you'll have to do some digging of your own," Jiraiya tells Deidara.

Deidara groans and hangs up the phone after mumbling a farewell. This is going to be one long semester.


	3. Art Partners

Deidara spent the whole weekend trying to come up with a plan to get closer to Sasori. By the time his next painting class rolls around, he still has no clue how to get chummy with the rude student. Deidara decides to sit in the corner of the room this time and think of something, anything, by the end of class.

Mrs. Kurenai steps in and begins to talk about a new assignment; it's some big project worth half their grade and yadda yadda, but Deidara doesn't really listen until he hears the mention of working with a partner. His ears definitely perk up at that. Then, Kurenai drops the bomb that she will be choosing the partners, it's not up for decision amongst the students (there's a loud collective sigh of disappointment from everyone).

She begins calling out names, and Deidara listens very closely, wondering who he'll be partnered with for this project. He finally hears his pseudonym as Kurenai calls, "Naruko, you'll be working with Sasori."

Deidara's stomach flips and his eyes immediately shoot over to the redhead. Sasori sits there looking stunned, as though someone just smashed precious artwork of his in front of him. Deidara rolls his eyes at Sasori's blatant disappointment in being partnered with Naruko. But internally, Deidara is grateful. Finally, he has a chance to get close to Sasori and find out all his secrets.

During the remainder of class, Kurenai explains the assignment in more detail and shows off a few examples from previous semesters. They are supposed to work together to make two paintings that each embody a differing theme, but when placed together, complement each other. The whole thing sounds extremely vague, and Deidara wonders why there's even a group project like this in a _painting_ class, but he shrugs off his concerns and focuses on this great opportunity he's been given. Apparently, this project will take around 8 weeks to finish, which gives Deidara loads of time to snoop around and investigate Sasori and his connection to Hidan.

After class, Deidara watches as Sasori makes a beeline for the teacher. Deidara doesn't think much of it at first, but then he notices Sasori glance at him and avert his eyes quickly, almost as if he's ashamed of something…

 _That asshole!_ Deidara is fuming. _Is he really about to ask the teacher if he can switch partners!?_

Deidara waits outside of the classroom for him, tapping his foot impatiently. When Sasori emerges, he looks completely surprised to see Naruko there.

"What the hell!" Deidara yells.

"What? Good afternoon to you too darling," Sasori returns with a bitterness in his voice that could chill the hottest of fires.

"Did you just ask Kurenai if you could switch partners? Do you really have that much of a problem with me?" Deidara tries his best to keep his voice as high-pitched and girly as possible.

"Is that why you waited out here for me? You're a stuck up, spoiled brat, aren't you? Not everything is about you," Sasori says, sharpening his eyes into tiny daggers.

"Then what were you doing exactly?" Deidara asks.

"If you really must know, I was asking for more details about this damned project. I didn't really understand some of her instructions in class, so she gave me this," Sasori holds out a piece of paper with hand written directions on it, "to help further explain." A blush dusts across his cheeks and he looks down to the floor for a moment before returning his gaze up at Deidara.

Deidara opens and shuts his mouth several times before responding. He hates looking like an idiot after making stupid assumptions, but that's exactly what just happened. But why did Sasori avert his eyes and blush like that when he went to talk to Kurenai? Was he just embarrassed to admit that he needed help?

Deidara coughs awkwardly, "Um, sorry, ya know."

"Oh, an apology from Miss Naruko. I didn't think it was possible," Sasori sneers.

"Don't push it," Deidara glowers back, "I-I'm actually glad you got written directions, I was confused too –u- ya know."

Sasori looks immensely relieved to hear that. Perhaps he _was_ just embarrassed to admit to her that he doesn't know everything, and that he too needed to ask for help sometimes. He gives a small cough and says, "So, when do you want to get this thing started? The sooner we do it, the sooner we'll be done with it."

"Oh yeah. How about tomorrow? I don't have any classes after 4," Deidara says. "Do you live on campus?"

Sasori flinches, "We're not meeting at my place."

"Why?" Deidara finds this curious, maybe there's something Sasori is hiding in his place…

"My place is a mess and I don't feel like cleaning it for you," Sasori states.

"Wow, how do you ever get girls to come over then?" Deidara sighs and continues, "anyways, I guess it should be okay at my place, what time is okay for you?"

"5 is good, let's exchange numbers and you can text me your address or something, I have another class in a few minutes," Sasori says, handing Deidara his phone.

After exchanging their numbers, Sasori gives a curt goodbye and leaves. Deidara is slightly stunned by how easy it was to set up a meet up for their project. Sure, it's a required assignment, but he figured Sasori would want to put it off or try to split up the work or something like that. Perhaps he is just as concerned with getting good grades as Jiraiya said.

…

Deidara paints his nails black while waiting for Sasori to show up the next day. He got home around 4:15 from class and has some time to kill. For some reason, he feels a tiny bubbling nervous sensation. It's odd really, this isn't _his_ home, but he still has this feeling like he wants to make sure Sasori is comfortable at his place. Painting his nails provides a distraction from his nerves; he can't help but feel on edge.

No matter how irksome Sasori is, or how suspicious he may be for this case, Deidara can't ignore the fact that he finds him attractive. He's tried several times to erase the image of that redhead from his mind, and all attempts have proved unsuccessful.

Deidara can't stop thinking about him, and it's not just because he's good looking. He keeps wondering why a guy like Sasori – an A plus student, a hard worker, a dedicated individual – would join a drug gang (or, whatever it is that Hidan's group does…). It doesn't make any sense. Deidara reviewed Sasori's files after hearing about it from Jiraiya (mostly to prove to himself that Jiraiya didn't miss anything important), and he saw firsthand how unsuspicious Sasori's background is.

Sasori's smug personality isn't one to be desired, but it doesn't explain how he could possibly be related in any way to the man who beat up Naruko a few weeks back. Deidara just doesn't see how Sasori could do that to anyone, even though he does put up this wall of being tough. Deidara can see that deep down, Sasori isn't really _that_ brutal, he's only rough around the edges.

The other awkward thought that Deidara keeps trying to ignore is the fact that Sasori clearly finds Naruko attractive. Deidara feels pretty confident in playing the role of Naruko Uzumaki after a few weeks of practice by now, but he wonders if he'll ever get used to the prying eyes of all the men around him. Having breasts seems to be a magnet for perverted onlookers, and Deidara has grown a new appreciation for all women in the world. He doesn't understand how they can do it, seriously.

That being said, Deidara has already caught Sasori looking his (or her) way a few times, although he doesn't do it in a perverted way. His eyes always linger on Deidara's face, as though he's taking her in, and inspecting her, trying to figure her out. But each time Deidara looks over at him, he turns away and blushes, and it's obvious that he thinks Naruko is good looking. This fact has settled into the pit of Deidara's stomach since the first time he saw Sasori, and it left a raw, acid like feeling there. As an undercover cop, part of Deidara's job is to lie to people constantly. But somehow, lying to Sasori in this way feels wrong. It feels like he's deceiving him in the most horrific way ever. If Sasori ever found out that the girl he finds cute in his painting class is actually a man…who knows what he would think. He would surely feel betrayed, and might start to question his own sexuality. That sort of thing could really mess with a guy's head, Deidara knows this.

So Deidara waits nervously and impatiently for Sasori to arrive, checking his make-up and hair several times in the mirror to make sure he still looks like the peppy and perky Naruko. Finally, the doorbell rings and Deidara nearly jumps out of his skin.

He takes a deep breath and opens the door as casually as possible. "Hey," he says, looking Sasori up and down quickly.

"Hello there," Sasori says, stepping inside. He takes one sweep of the little townhome, and asks, "who else lives here with you?"

"Oh, Sasuke. But he isn't here right now," Deidara admits. For some reason, his insides do a strange twist at mentioning this, almost like he's guilty.

"Right, the boyfriend. I didn't realize it was that serious," Sasori says, dropping his backpack off his shoulders and making himself comfortable on the couch.

"Yeah," Deidara says awkwardly, "Anyways, did you want something to drink or anything?"

"No, I just want to get this crap over with," Sasori says.

Deidara narrows his eyes, trying not to let his temper get the best of him. He has to stay calm and collected if he wants to pry into Sasori's endeavors. He takes a deep sigh and sits next to Sasori on the couch, making sure to leave sufficient space between them.

"Do you have any ideas yet about the project?" he asks casually.

"No, I figured we would start there…you're not an art major, are you?" Sasori eyes him questioningly.

"No, I just wanted to take painting as a stress reliever class ya know," Deidara admits.

"Huh, how ironic. You want to paint as an easy class and we get this big project dumped on us," Sasori says. The conversation is going well so far, neither have called each other names or raised their voices. _This could really work out_ Deidara thinks.

"Yeah, exactly my thoughts," Deidara agrees, "but I guess there's no helping it. Are you an art major?" Deidara already knows all this information, but has to play like he hasn't snooped through all of Sasori's files.

"Yes, although painting isn't exactly my area of expertise. This is a required class for me."

"Oh, okay. Well, what type of art are you good at?" Deidara ask.

"I'm a woodworker, I craft all sorts of permanent pieces like wood sculptures and puppets, things like that."

"Huh," Deidara considers this, "Isn't that a little…old school?"

Sasori looks extremely offended, "Look who's talking! Are you an expert on art all of a sudden!? I'll have you know that woodwork is an extremely difficult and highly appreciated artwork, one that has been around for several years, but is still glorified to this day!"

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'm just more into art that's fleeting, or momentary, ya know," Deidara explains. Deidara honestly doesn't know anything about Naruko's taste in art, so this is all his own personality coming into play.

"No. I don't know," Sasori says through tight teeth, "what the hell are you talking about?"

"You know, art that's like…a bang!" Deidara closes and opens his fists, imitating a popping or banging motion. "Things like fireworks, or explosions, or-"

"What?" Sasori cuts him off, "Art is supposed to be permanent and everlasting so that everyone can gaze upon its beauty."

"Art is up to interpretation, art can be anything the artist imagines," Deidara corrects. Sasori looks like he's about to explode with fury again. So much for a peaceful conversation. Deidara needs to turn the wheels around on this discussion, and fast.

"But anyways, let's put our views aside for now and try to think of some themes for our project ya know," Deidara says in a hurry, trying to soothe the sour look on Sasori's face.

Sasori's pout is still present, "how am I supposed to work with you on this? Damn, I really _should_ have asked Kurenai for a new partner…but fine. Why don't we do a yin and yang type thing? Pick two opposing themes that somehow complement each other," Sasori suggests.

Deidara lets that first comment slide, ignoring it and choosing to respond to Sasori's yin and yang suggestion. "That sounds like a good idea! We could do light and dark, or beauty and ugly, or difficult and easy…there's a lot of different themes that oppose each other, but together make each other 'whole,' ya know."

Sasori stares at Deidara with surprise. "Wow, how do you know so much about yin and yang? I was almost joking…"

Deidara blushes a little, realizing he's showing more of himself than Naruko again. He took some culture and humanities classes when he was in undergrad a few years back, and he always found it to be an interesting subject, so he remembers quite a bit. He coughs softly and says, "I have more interests than just becoming a school principal."

"You want to be a principal? What on earth made you want to choose that as a career?" Sasori is truly curious.

"Well, uh," Deidara thinks back to what Naruko told him in the hospital, and he tries his best to imitate her enthusiasm, "I want to inspire people. As a kid, I was always told that I was a loser, and I grew up pretty lonely, so I've always wanted to do something to stand out and to help others. I figure that if I become a principal, I can enact change and help out the students, ya know?" Deidara musters as much 'Naruko' happiness in his speech, and he realizes that Naruko's story strikes a similar chord with his own. Both he and Naruko grew up lonely, and were teased. Perhaps he and Naruko aren't so different after all. So Deidara doesn't feel too guilty in relaying this information to Sasori because in a way, he isn't really lying. The only part that's false is that Deidara doesn't want to be a high school principal (well that and the fact that he isn't a female college student…).

Sasori wears a strange expression on his face, it's a mixture of bewilderment and empathy. "Wh-what?" Deidara asks after being stared at like that for too long.

Sasori blinks, "I'm just confused as to why you told me all that…I thought you didn't like me."

Deidara flips his blonde hair out of the way in order to distract himself from the heat that crawls up his face, "I-I never said that."

"You called me an ass," Sasori reminds.

"Well, you _were_ being a little mean. But I think you and I just got off on the wrong foot, ya know." Deidara says.

"Hm, maybe. But all we ever seem to do is find something to argue about," Sasori points out the obvious.

"Yeah, well, we're going to have to get along in order to work on this project for the next 8 weeks, so we might as well try to get to know each other better, ya know," Deidara says with a genuine smile.

"Huh, you're right. I guess we'll call a truce then," Sasori says, "Now, back to this project…"

The two decide to write all their ideas down and form a list, figuring they can branch off their ideas and find something more concrete to work on after thinking about it for a few hours. As they work together, Deidara notices that Sasori slowly begins to relax and look more comfortable. They don't argue again, something that Deidara takes as a victory.

Sasori is just about to pack up his things and head out when the door opens, with a surprised looking Sasuke standing in the doorway. "Hello Naruko," he says, "I didn't realize you had company."

"Oh, this is Sasori. He's my partner for this art project I have to do in painting class," Deidara explains. Sasuke has an odd look on his face, and Deidara realizes what's going on. He's trying his best to look at him adoringly, as he would with Naruko. The result is a sort of half scowl, half smile. He's obviously not the best actor.

But then Sasuke comes around and places his hand outwards to greet Sasori. Sasori shakes it and an awkward silence drifts across the room. "N-nice to meet you Sasuke," Sasori says, feigning politeness.

"Likewise," Sasuke says. He then turns to Deidara, and bends over. Deidara feels a sliver of panic crawl up his chest for a split second before Sasuke's lips are upon his in a light, quick kiss. The contact is so brief it can almost not even be called a kiss, but it happened, and it left Deidara momentarily frozen in place on the couch, in utter disbelief that Sasuke was willing to go that far.

Sasori gets up immediately and clears his throat, "anyways, I was just about to leave. I'll text you if I come up with any other ideas for the project Naruko." His eyes are averted, and he's moving fast towards the door.

"Right," Deidara says. He gets up frantically and walks Sasori to the door and then watches the redhead as he scurries away, seemingly eager to get away from Sasuke and Naruko.

As soon as he is gone and out of sight, Deidara rounds on Sasuke. "What the hell?"

Sasuke looks affronted, "What do you mean 'what the hell?' You're pretending to be Naruko, so I had to act the part. Although If you ever tell Naruko I had to kiss you, then I'll kill you."

"You didn't exactly have to do that," Deidara tells him.

"If you were the real Naruko, I would've done more than that. I don't like to walk in on my girlfriend hanging around with another guy that I don't know. I know you're not her, but I still got upset just thinking about it," Sasuke explains, without a hint of shame.

Deidara rolls his eyes, "Aren't you a bit overprotective? Don't you trust her?"

"I do. I don't trust other men though, especially not after what happened with that Hidan guy. Anyways," Sasuke lifts a bag over his shoulder and heads for the door, "I just came back to grab my stuff, I'm staying with Naruko tonight at Iruka's place." Sasuke pauses a moment at the door and turns back, "I'm counting on you to get Hidan and his group in prison where they belong." It's the first time he's said anything serious about the matter, Deidara can tell he means it. He wants revenge on Hidan, probably more so than Naruko.

"Right, you can count on me," Deidara assures him before he swings the door closed.


	4. Beneath The Layers

"So, according to the gossip going around the staff, this drug has been popping up everywhere around school, students are talking about it like crazy," Jiraiya says.

"Hm, I haven't heard about it yet," Deidara admits. "Does this elusive drug have a name?"

"You haven't been hanging out with the right people. Naruko's friends aren't the type who would do this drug. But all the potheads and everyone who likes to go out and party-"

"you mean _everyone_ in college?"

"Pretty much," Jiraiya continues, "They're seeing this drug at parties and the like. A lot of people have tried it, even if they don't go back to it."

"Again, does it have a name?"

"It's called lure," Jiraiya explains.

"Lure. Hm," Deidara ponders this. He finds it incredibly frustrating that Jiraiya has found out all this information, and he's still got squat.

"Yes, that's about all I can tell you though. I don't know what it looks like or what it does, but from the sound of it, it's a pretty incredible drug. The other mystery is that no one seems to know who the distributor is…if it's Hidan and a group, they're playing very careful, selling large amounts to kids that will share the drug and who won't rat them out. Do you have any lead on this Sasori guy yet?"

"I'm still figuring that out…" Deidara doesn't want to admit that he's got nothing. It's been another week since they got the assignment in class, and he's met up with Sasori once since then. Deidara tried his luck with asking questions about Sasori's hobbies or endeavors, but Sasori snapped back at him that they should work on their project, and ignored all of Deidara's inquiries. Breaking through Sasori is going to be tough.

"And you're still sure…?" Jiraiya's question lingers through the air.

"Yes, I know the ring has to mean something!" Deidara says.

"Alright, alright," Jiraiya raises his hands, "I'll leave it to you. Just remember to not close your ears to anything else, always be alert."

"I know un. I'm an undercover cop," Deidara says sourly. He doesn't need another lecture from Jiraiya.

"Okay. Well anyways," a grin spreads over the old man's face, "do you want to get a drink or something? I'm so bored grading papers all day."

"Naruko can't be seen having a drink with an old teacher assistant," Deidara says, happily declining that offer.

"Old?" Jiraiya wrinkles his nose.

"Anyways, why don't you ask Tsunade out?" Deidara inquires.

"Bah, like hell she'd say yes… It's not a bad idea though to ask under the pretext of telling her all this information…" Jiraiya ponders this for a moment, "good idea Dei- I mean Naruko. I'll see you around. Let me know if you find any useful information." Jiraiya promptly gets up from the couch and heads out the door, looking left and right to make sure no one watches as a teacher walks out of Naruko and Sasuke's townhome.

Deidara sighs and plops on the couch, wondering when he'll start cracking this case. It's become more difficult than he thought. As Jiraiya mentioned, the drug dealers in this gang are extremely elusive and careful, keeping their identity secret from everyone.

…

"We should make this part here red," Sasori says, eyeing their painting. They decided that the best themes to evoke in their project are the ones they know best – fleeting and eternal art. They are currently painting a sunset, something that happens every day, making it an eternal, everlasting form of art. Yet every sunset is different, the colors in the sky are never the same with any two sunsets, and in that sense, it is fleeting, and momentary.

It took them a few rounds of discussion to finally decide upon this ideal. Their best hope is that Kurenai will see both themes in their paintings. One will be a sunset, the other, a sunrise. Slight differences, yet both complement each other. Both are simultaneously fleeting, yet eternal.

But the next matter at hand is for them to actually paint the damn pictures. Now that they've finally decided on the subject, they're having a hard time deciding on the simple matter of color. Deidara sighs, feeling exhausted.

"A sunset should have more yellow and orange than red…red is such a jarring color," Deidara says.

"Take that back," Sasori seems personally offended. Deidara blushes as he realizes that he's just, although offhandedly and on accident, insulted Sasori's hair. And Deidara absolutely loves Sasori's hair (not that he would _ever_ admit that).

"Ah sorry," Deidara says, "I don't mean in your hair, ya know. I just mean…a sunset is supposed to look nice."

"And red is nice. We're putting it here," Sasori takes control of the paintbrush and strokes in a few lines of red, shading over some of the orange hues. Deidara watches in horror for a moment, but then steps back, and grunts. It actually looks pretty good. Dammit.

"See, what did I tell you Naruko?" Sasori is standing there smugly with the paintbrush in one hand, the other hand placed on his hip.

"Fine. It's okay," Deidara says. Sasori smirks, and Deidara has half a mind to wipe that smirk off his face by grabbing him by the collar and kissing him harshly… _whoa wait! Get that thought out of there!_ Deidara shakes his head, willing himself not to think such things about the number one suspect in this case.

Sasori is about to comeback, no doubt with a clever quip, when his cell phone starts blaring in his pocket. "Ah shit," he mumbles as he picks up his phone and looks at the screen. He pushes a button and the phone goes silent.

"You aren't going to answer?" Deidara asks curiously.

"It's just a guy I went out with the other night. It was a horrible date, so I won't be taking his call," Sasori says casually. Deidara nearly chokes at this news.

"You're gay?" he splutters out, realizing too late how rude that question sounds. _Well_ …he thinks, _it's not like I haven't gotten that question before from others_.

"Why are you so curious?" Sasori asks back.

"I-I thought you were checking me out before, during that first day of class ya know." Deidara says, blushing furiously.

Sasori smirks again, "Hm, wouldn't you like to know? But anyways, I'm bisexual, not that it should matter to you."

"I-It doesn't. I was just curious. I don't really know you that well, ya know," Deidara says.

"Huh, I didn't think you cared to know me," Sasori replies harshly.

Deidara bites his bottom lip, trying hard not to roll his eyes, "I thought we agreed to start fresh, turn over a new leaf as they say. So yeah, I wouldn't mind getting to know you better, ya know." Sasori's cheeks redden a little but he doesn't lose his composure.

"Alright then. Well, if you really want to know me, you should come out for a drink with me sometime, I mean, as pals and all. Well, that's assuming you're of age?" Sasori blurts out.

"You're in luck, I just turned 21 last October," Deidara lies, recalling that Naruko's birthday is October 10th. She had just started going out more with Sasuke and Sakura since then, enjoying the fact that she's now the legal drinking age. Apparently she's currently bummed out being stuck at Iruka's home, unable to go out on the town…at least that's Sasuke's excuse for visiting her so often.

"I know some good places for drinks too, so you're in luck. I'm a more experienced drinker, you see," Sasori boasts.

"Experienced?"

"I'm 23, older than you," Sasori explains. Deidara has to do all he can to not laugh – he's 25 years old himself, so it's quite funny that Sasori thinks he has the upper hand here on 'drinking experiences.' "Have you heard of the bar called 'Night-wing?' They have some good happy hours if you want to go."

It's curious that Sasori mentions that bar, the same bar that Naruko got beat up at. Deidara feigns a sullen, hurt look. He cowers his eyes downwards and shakes his head, saying, "I don't ever want to go back there." Now is the perfect opportunity to do some investigative digging, especially since Sasori's the one who brought up the subject.

"Why? What happened there?" Sasori asks, genuinely curious.

"I-I got beat up, I don't really like talking about it," Deidara says. It's so easy playing the bait like this, and Sasori falls – hook, line and sinker.

"Beat up? By who?"

"Some guy named Hidan. I don't know who he is. I was there celebrating the end of finals week last fall, and he came up to me outside the club, trying to sell some drug. I said no, but he was really pushy ya know? I tried to kick him and then…he knocked me down. He nearly broke my ribs," Deidara explains, trying to add in a sniffle here and there. The only part of the story he changed was about the broken ribs – they figured it would be best to make the attack seem less harsh than it really was, to make it more believable that Naruko would come back to school in the start of spring.

Deidara watches Sasori's reaction carefully, looking for any sign of recognition. When he had mentioned the name 'Hidan,' he definitely saw Sasori's eyes widen a bit. Now he wears a strangled look of confusion, empathy and…almost vehemence. It's as though this information brought to light something that was kept dark, and now Sasori looks furious.

"He did what?" he mumbles, barely audible. "What the hell! I can't believe that happened to you Naruko!"

"Yeah…do you know him or something?" Deidara asks cautiously.

"Er-um-no. I'm just shocked. Shocked that something that horrible happened to you. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Deidara says. "It happened weeks ago, my bruising is just about gone by now," Deidara lifts up part of his shirt, showing off the light smattering of purple bruises that were painted on carefully by himself along the bottom of his ribcage (he had to learn all the details from the make-up artists Tenten, so he felt like he had to show at least one person this fake bruise- it took painstaking hours to learn how to get it right).

Sasori reaches a hand out and brushes his fingers across the bruised skin, and Deidara fakes a wince. He pulls back and places his shirt down, not wanting Sasori to look too closely and find out that it's fake. "You must either be really brave or really crazy," Sasori says.

"Why's that?"

"To go up to a guy like – I mean, a drug dealer. Weren't you scared? Was he alone? Were you?" Sasori asks, eyes full of concern.

"I was alone, yeah. I was getting some fresh air for a minute outside the club when he approached me. He had some partner who told him to stop and run away…but I don't know who it was," Deidara says, remembering every detail of Naruko's account.

"Hmm," Sasori hums, thinking to himself. Deidara would give anything to know what's going on inside Sasori's head at this very moment.

"Why are you so curious about this?" Deidara asks, prodding more into the matter.

Sasori sighs heavily, "you'll kill me if you knew…"

"Try me."

"Well…as a matter of fact, I actually do know Hidan, although I'm not particularly fond of him," Sasori says. Bingo. There it is. Finally, Deidara is getting through.

He tries to act cool, like he isn't doing summersaults in his head, ready to tell Jiraiya 'I told you so' the next time he sees him. "How do you know him? I never suspected you would hang out with a thug like him," Deidara says.

"Hah, thug? He may be mean, but he's far from a thug. He just likes violence too much, I think he gets it from all the videos he watches or something. But he and I…well, we're sort of in a group together. But it doesn't matter. Like I said, I never liked that guy. Actually," Sasori pauses for a moment, "I can talk to him for you, and tell him to leave you alone if you'd like."

"Well, it's not like I've seen him since that one time. Does he go to school here?"

"Yeah, although he's a religion major and probably wouldn't have any classes with you," Sasori says.

Deidara splutters, seemingly lost for words for a moment, "A _religion_ major?! That guy? He's studying religion!?"

"Pretty ironic huh? He's into this one obscure religion called Jashin. He wants to be their priest or something, I don't really know. Like I said, never liked him," Sasori tells her.

"Then why do you hang out with him? What's this group you're involved with?" Deidara asks. The information is coming out so suddenly, Deidara can barely believe this is the same snobby redhead who glowered at him in class the first day.

"Hm, why are _you_ now the one suddenly so interested in all my affairs?" Sasori snaps back.

"I'm not. I just find it curious. I mean, a guy who's a religion major selling drugs? Isn't that odd?" Deidara asks. And honestly, it truly is odd.

"Well…maybe he's doing it for a good reason. You don't know." Sasori says cryptically.

"Selling drugs for a good reason…?" Deidara is confused, but Sasori is giving him this look now that says 'drop it.'

"Anyways," Sasori says, closing on the matter, "I can tell him to never go near you again, if he ever sees you around. He should know better than to get that violent."

"It's okay, you don't have to fight any battles for me. I'm strong on my own, ya know," Deidara says with a smile.

Sasori smiles back, "You are one strange girl, you know that?"

"How so?"

"I don't know many girls who would try to land a kick on Hidan. I wish I could've seen his reaction," Sasori says, in admiration of Naruko's efforts. "Why were you alone? Where was Sasuke?" he asks.

"He wasn't with me that evening, it was just me and my girlfriend Sakura," Deidara tells him.

Sasori smirks, "girlfriend?"

"Not like that you pervert. My friend," Deidara says, rolling his eyes. Sasori laughs at him, and Deidara realizes a beat too late that Sasori was simply joking. So they are on joking terms now, good. It seems that Deidara is breaking through Sasori's hard exterior. Deidara laughs back, making sure to keep his laughter high pitched and light.

"So then Night-wing is off the table," Sasori finally says.

"Definitely. You'll have to think of another place, you are the expert, aren't you?" Deidara teases back.

"Yes, okay. Don't you worry," Sasori says before getting back to their neglected artwork.

….

As soon as Sasori leaves later that evening, Deidara rushes into his pack to pull out his laptop. He scrambles to type everything down he just learned, replaying the conversation in his head over and over again. Once he does that, he sighs and gives himself a moment to relax, mentally patting himself on the back. Now Jiraiya isn't the only one with useful information.

After a quick chat with Jiraiya on the phone (in which he finally got to say 'I told you so!'), Deidara hops into the shower to rinse off all the paint. Somehow, Deidara tends to get quite messy when doing pretty much any form of art. Sasori had made fun of him, saying "you should wear a smock, gloves, and goggles; how did you even manage to get paint in your hair?"

Deidara hums a tune to himself as he rinses, but his singing doesn't drown out the loud pounding of someone knocking hard on the door. Immediately alert in cop mode, Deidara turns off the shower, and quickly covers up with a towel. Whoever is knocking is persistent.

He rushes to the door and opens cautiously, peeking outside. He's totally flabbergasted and thrown off to find Sasori at the other side.

"Sasori?" Deidara remembers to use his 'Naruko' voice just in time. He's lucky that those damn whiskers take forever to scrub off. He's stopped trying to rinse them off in the shower ages ago, the marks sometimes become a little faded, but will stay on stubbornly for the most part. Deidara crosses his wet arms over the towel on his chest, hoping to hide the fact that he's totally flat there. As he does this, he notices that the towel barely, just barely, covers below his hips…he has to be careful with shifting his body or some unwanted areas might be shown. _Oh, how embarrassing…why oh why did he come back!?_ Deidara thinks. He can feel his cheeks growing warmer and warmer by the second.

And Sasori is just standing there. Standing there and blatantly staring. Gaping. His face is almost as red as his hair. If it wasn't obvious that he's attracted to Naruko before, it's clear as day now. Deidara waits another uncomfortable second before finally asking, "Um, why are you here?"

"I-I think I left my cell phone here. I went all the way home and realized I couldn't find it." Sasori says, eyes still groping up and down Deidara. Deidara takes a step back uncomfortably, making sure to crouch down and cover his parts as best as he can.

"Well come in and hurry up and get it," Deidara says, annoyed.

Sasori walks in cautiously, noting the water on the floor, "You ran out of the shower to get the door?"

"You were knocking like a madman!" Deidara yells back, losing his patience.

Sasori rushes to the couch and quickly finds his cell phone wedged between the cushions. "There it is," he says, walking back. He pauses in the doorway for a moment, looking Deidara up and down again.

"Oh c'mon!" Deidara cries, turning another shade darker, "stop looking! This is so embarrassing!"

"I've never seen your hair down like that…and wet," Sasori says, "I like it." He doesn't even bother to deny that he's checking her out.

"Please get out!" Deidara cries, slamming the door behind Sasori. Deidara peeks out the side window, watching as a dazed Sasori lumbers off slowly, looking back at the door every few steps. _Oh jeez,_ Deidara places his hand on his forehead and sighs exasperatedly, _this guy has it bad for Naruko…this might complicate things…_

And to make things more complicated, Deidara can't help but notice his own heartbeat has quickened, and the air in his lungs feels drained. Somehow, Sasori has that effect on him. This is not good. Definitely not good.


	5. Drunken Confessions

"Ugh," Sasuke sighs and slumps on the couch, caressing his forehead between his fingers and thumb.

"What's wrong?" Deidara asks, not sure if Sasuke will even tell him.

"My brother," Sasuke says. Deidara waits for him to elaborate, "Itachi. He's been…oddly distant for a while now. Every time I try to contact him, he says he's busy and can't see me."

"Does he have work or something?" Deidara inquires.

"He's a senior at our school. I haven't seen him in months though. He just told me to leave him alone, and that he doesn't need my petty phone calls. He never even came to visit Naruko in the hospital…it's really unlike him. My dad doesn't seem to care though." Sasuke says. Deidara's never heard him vent this much before.

"Hm, that's odd. Did something happen between the two of you?" Deidara asks.

"No. It's like one day, he just decided to become a hermit and shut me out. I'm sick of it. I'm giving up on him, if he wants to be that way, then fine," Sasuke says, turning his attention to his cell phone.

Deidara makes an awkward attempt at comforting his roommate (and fake boyfriend) but Sasuke shrugs him off, clearly done with the conversation. So Deidara picks up his backpack and heads out, dreading class with Sasori and thinking about Sasuke's unfortunate situation. What kind of a brother would do that? Just cut their family out like that? It's no wonder Sasuke is so sour and sullen all the time…

The weather is still cool out, but much less colder than a few weeks ago. Deidara has on a skirt and tights today, with high top boots. He would never admit this to anyone, but wearing a skirt is actually kind of nice, refreshing in a way. He's used to the 'tuck' by now, and it's nice to feel the breeze down there a little. He walks with a little skip in his step, admiring the fashionable boots he chose.

He's so preoccupied with skipping along and thinking about Sasuke's predicament, that he doesn't notice the man blocking his way until it is too late. He crashes right into something hard, and comes tumbling down. "ouch un!" Deidara squeals, forgetting for a moment to use 'ya know.'

"Ah sorry," the student says, turning around to look at Deidara's crumbled figure on the ground, reaching a hand out. Deidara takes the hand and stands up quickly, looking into the his face. He can't help but gasp. Slick back white hair, tall and lanky figure, and that unmistakable ring on his finger that Naruko had described in the hospital. It's Hidan.

Hidan undeniably recognizes him (her) too. He looks panicked, but Deidara quickly grasps his wrist and says "You're the guy! You beat me up," he says the last part in a half whisper, half yell.

Hidan is about to reply when suddenly, a new pair of hands shoves him away from Deidara. "What the fuck Hidan?"

 _Oh no,_ Deidara thinks, _Where did he even come from?_

"Get away from her," Sasori says menacingly, glaring at the taller figure. Deidara has to admire his bravery, now that he can see Hidan for his own eyes, it's true that he's quite a formidable looking guy. There's this creepy aura about him.

His expression becomes a smug smirk as he looks down at Sasori, "What are you doing here? I was just helping this young lady up off the floor."

"Go away. I know you beat her up when she didn't want to buy from you," Sasori warns. He stands between Deidara and Hidan, one hand outstretched in a protective stance to keep Deidara back.

"Huh? Where did you hear that? Anyways, if that's the night I went to the Night-Wing, I was blazed out of my mind, hyped up on a few different things…so I'm sorry about that blondie," Hidan says lamely.

"Being under the influence doesn't excuse your actions," Deidara says, trying to peek out from behind Sasori.

"Yeah," Sasori agrees, "leave her alone."

"For the last time, I wasn't bothering your girlfriend, sheesh. I have to get going anyways," Hidan says, moving around past Sasori. He makes a wide berth across from them and adds, "I really didn't mean to scare you like that girl, but if you ever do want to try lure, you know who to ask." He winks (which makes Deidara want to gag) and then walks away.

Sasori turns to Deidara, worry present in his eyes, "Are you alright, did he hurt you?" he has his hand on Deidara's shoulder, feeling around for a non-existent bruise. The touch makes Deidara feel something warm and fuzzy inside, so he pulls away quickly.

"I'm fine. I just accidentally ran into him and fell down, it was coincidental. I didn't need your help," Deidara says, turning away.

Sasori looks cross, "A simple 'thank you' would've sufficed."

"Thank you!? For what? I told you before, I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me. Besides, what was he gonna do to me at a crowded campus? It was an honest mistake ya know," Deidara yells back. He isn't sure why he's so infuriated with Sasori…but it's just annoying that Sasori has to get involved with _everything…_ and he's possibly interfering with this mission. Deidara just missed an opportunity to talk more with Hidan, but Sasori thwarted it.

Sasori flinches for a moment but then returns to scowling, "I just thought it might be hard to see the guy that beat you senselessly…I was only trying to help, but I can see that I'm unwanted here. See you in class I guess." A hurt Sasori turns to leave and Deidara sighs, feeling his gut twist with uneasy guilt.

"No wait. I shouldn't have said that ya know. I was just…upset to see him around. Really, you did a good thing, sticking up for me. No one else would've done that," Deidara says, catching up to Sasori.

Sasori stops and stares at him for a moment, "You mean that?"

"Yeah. And we're both going to the same class, so why don't we just walk together?" Deidara suggests. He has to remember to stay on Sasori's good side. He needs to stay on good terms with Sasori, as Sasori is the only one giving him information currently.

"Sure," Sasori says, trying to hide his obvious delight.

They walk in silence for a minute before Deidara clears his throat, "So…are you still involved in…whatever group you and Hidan are a part of?"

"Yeah, it's not exactly something I can quit," Sasori says, revealing very little yet zeroing in on something important all the same.

"You can't get out of it?" Deidara asks back, confused. He then tries to test the waters again and asks, "does this group have anything to do with Hidan trying to sell me that lure drug?"

"Well…" Sasori looks conflicted, like he wants to tell Naruko/Deidara, but can't. "Sort of."

"Sort of? It's either yes or no…are you in a gang?" Deidara asks.

"It's not a gang," Sasori corrects, "And anyways, you should mind your own business."

"Well, I'm just worried for you. It sounds to me like someone is forcing you to be in this group, and that doesn't sound good. And besides, you didn't mind _your_ own business a few minutes ago, so I feel justified in asking you these things. You are my friend, aren't you?" Deidara says with determination.

"Friend?" Sasori's voice sounds lost, as though he's never heard the word uttered before. He smiles, "Yeah we are friends, but I still can't tell you everything. I'm a secretive guy," he winks at him jokingly and Deidara rolls his eyes.

"Well Mr. Mysterious, I'm going to figure it out one day," Deidara says.

"Heh, alright," Sasori smirks and then changes the subject, "you sure your boyfriend doesn't mind us hanging out so much? I was thinking we could go get that drink sometime soon."

"Oh Sasuke?" Deidara feels a little uncomfortable talking about Naruko's boyfriend as if it's his own, "He and I…uh. Well, we haven't been getting along that great lately." He isn't sure exactly why he says this, but it just feels like the right thing to say at the time. The real Naruko and Sasuke would never get into an argument that threatens their relationship, but Sasuke constantly is getting under Deidara's skin lately…safe for the detail about his older brother.

"You've had arguments?" Sasori seems curious.

"Well…more like he's been disinterested lately. His big brother Itachi has been giving him the cold shoulder, so it's affecting his mood," Deidara says, throwing this information out casually. He's surprised when he sees Sasori's reaction. The name 'Itachi' must be recognizable to him.

"Itachi?" Sasori ask.

"Yeah, you know him?" Deidara is surprised by all the information he's found out today. They are just now getting to the classroom and taking a seat next to each other.

"He's been in a few of my classes, I never knew he had a little brother," Sasori says. The way he says this makes Deidara think that there's more that he knows. As an undercover cop, Deidara is pretty aware of when people are lying, or when they aren't telling the whole truth.

Sasori makes it a point to change the topic of conversation again, wondering what their teacher will talk about today as they take their seats. Deidara half listens, still wondering what the connection between Sasori and Itachi is…and how this is all related. He's learned so much from Sasori, and it would be wise to keep pulling out information from him. He'll have to make sure that this project of theirs takes the full 8 weeks to complete.

…..

After a boring class of listening to Kurenai talk about variants of paint types, Sasori and Deidara decide to go out for that drink. Sasori takes him to a bar that's walking distance from campus, a small hole-in-the-wall place called 'Hops.'

They are browsing the menu as Sasori says, "there's some mixed drinks and cocktails on the other side, this place mostly serves beer though, sorry."

"I'm okay with beer," Deidara says. Sasori looks surprised, "Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I don't like beer. I always thought that was a dumb stereotype, ya know."

Sasori nods, "You're right. I should know by now that you don't fit in any stereotype category."

Deidara is flattered by this for a moment, but then feels an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. The person that Sasori is getting to know so well isn't the real Naruko. Deidara wonders what will happen once this mission is over and the real Naruko comes back to campus. Naruko won't know a thing about Sasori, and Sasori will realize that it isn't the same person…or worse, Sasori will be locked away in a dirty cell for selling drugs.

Deidara tries not to think about the future. He resolves to staying focused on the present, taking this opportunity to uncover some more information from Sasori. With their drinks in hand, they clink glasses and then take a sip. Sasori gulps down half his beer and sighs loudly, "Ah, I needed this after that boring class."

"Yeah," Deidara agrees, "you do seem a little stressed out."

Sasori shrugs, like it's no big deal, "It's just that time of year I guess. I'm in my last semester, graduation is so close."

"Oh yeah? What do you want to do when you graduate?" Deidara asks curiously.

"Well, I want to be an art teacher. I have a minor in education that I've already completed," Sasori explains.

"Oh really? Maybe you can help me with some of my education classes ya know," Deidara says jokingly.

"Haha, yeah maybe. I was actually thinking, wouldn't it be funny if you and I ended up working in the same school? You could be the principal and I'd be the art teacher," Sasori says.

Deidara laughs awkwardly, being reminded again of the future and knowing that Sasori's dreams can never come into fruition. Desperate to change the subject, he says, "Anyways…about this group that you're in…"

"Oh not that again," Sasori rolls his eyes and downs the rest of his drink, beckoning the bartender over to get a new one.

"I'm just worried for you. What if this affects your chances to become an art teacher hm? Are you really," Deidara drops his voice down to a low whisper, "selling drugs like Hidan?"

Sasori chokes on his beer for a minute at that question. He pounds his fist to his chest to help it all go down and then says, "Why are you making all these assumptions?"

"Well, am I right?"

Sasori takes another sip before replying, "Yeah. But it isn't what you think."

"What do you mean?" Deidara asks.

"It's more like…I'm doing this as a favor for a friend. If we can sell this stuff and make a lot of money quick, then I can get out of it and not have to worry anymore," Sasori explains.

"Hm…" Deidara thinks about this, realizing that Tsunade was right. There is someone pulling the strings to this operation, and making these students think that they have to do this…but who is that person? And what's the reason behind all this? He has to dig deeper, get involved somehow. "Well, can I help you sell this stuff? That would make it quicker, wouldn't it?"

Sasori flinches, "Don't talk nonsense. There's no way."

"Why not?"

"I'm not letting you get involved in something this dangerous. Just trust that I have it under control, it's nothing you need to worry about," Sasori says, his tone getting more serious, eyes glaring down with a sharp warning to leave it be.

Deidara sighs, knowing that Sasori isn't going to budge on this one. If he really wants to get in on this 'group,' he's going to have to go to someone else… "Who else is in this group?"

"No one you would know," Sasori says curtly, "And I shouldn't say anyways." Sasori downs the rest of his beer and then asks for a third one.

"Shouldn't you slow down there?" Deidara asks.

"It takes me a while to get drunk," Sasori says.

"You're trying to get drunk on a Wednesday?" Deidara raises an eyebrow.

Sasori shrugs, "Why are you being so judgmental? You said yourself that I'm stressed out, so I need a little stress reliever."

"There's other ways to relieve stress. You could try going on a date," Deidara suggests.

"Nah, there's no one I'm interested in at the moment," Sasori says. His eyes shift up at Deidara and then back down again quickly. Deidara blushes, knowing that Sasori would gladly be dating Naruko (well, Deidara's version of Naruko) if Sasuke wasn't in the picture.

….

An hour later, both are feeling pretty dizzy and excited from the beers, and it's clear that Sasori's quite drunk. He's laughing louder than usual (and more than usual, considering how rare it is that he _ever_ laughs) and his gestures are looser and more dramatic. He scooted his chair closer to Deidara, and now he has a hand on his thigh, leaning in close as he jokes around. Their proximity is making Deidara feel a little uncomfortable, but perhaps with Sasori this drunk, he can pry out more useful information.

"Haha, Naruko," Sasori slurs a little and sways some, "You are not at all what I expected. I'm glad we got to know each other a little better. You can hold down your beer like a champ too. Most other girls I know have about two sips and are wasted. But," he steadies his glassy eyes on Deidara, "you aren't most girls, are you?"

"No, I guess not," Deidara says, trying not to blush. Sasori's face is very close to his now, he's definitely beyond the borders of his personal space.

"You're way different than Konan…" Sasori's eyes close for a moment and then open slowly again.

"Konan? Who is that?"

"A long time friend of mine…but I never fucked her. Although, the thought was there, she is really pretty. But she's never been interested in anyone except her current boyfriend," Sasori rambles out, giving out too much information. Deidara feels a tiny pang of jealousy at the thought of Sasori banging some random friend…but he pushes it aside.

 _Hm,_ Deidara thinks, _a long time friend huh? And he did mention earlier that he's selling drugs as a favor to a friend…I wonder…_

"Oh, but, I wouldn't do that, of course," Sasori says. Deidara isn't even quite sure what he's talking about anymore, he's drunkenly talking nonsense. "I wouldn't ever come between a girl and her boyfriend. And Konan is just my friend, so you don't have to worry."

"I wasn't worried," Deidara says, laughing a little at Sasori's current state. He's definitely going to regret saying all this tomorrow.

"Good," Sasori says, "I'm not that kind of guy."

"I didn't think you were," Deidara says, hoping that he'll drop the matter.

But he doesn't, "Sometimes it's hard though." He's staring at Deidara square in the eye, and Deidara turns his face away, picking up on Sasori's insinuation. "The temptation…is there…"

Deidara immediately gets up from his chair, panicked that Sasori is about to do something he'll definitely regret when he's sober. "We should take you home now Sasori."

"Aw, c'mon," Sasori complains, but gets up from his chair all the same and digs out his wallet to pay the bill.

Deidara pulls out his wallet too, but Sasori pushes his hand down, "I'll pay sweetie."

"Don't call me sweetie," Deidara retorts, annoyed.

"Oh, right, you don't like nick names. Okay. Well still. I'm paying," Sasori says, clearly determined to get the bill. Deidara rolls his eyes and waits for Sasori to pay before grabbing his hand and dragging him outside.

Sasori seems happy to be holding Deidara's hand, but Deidara is only doing it to make sure the redhead doesn't stumble over and fall. He can't help but notice the tingling sensation in his own hand though, and his quickened heart pace. Damn that good looking Sasori. Even when he's drunk off his ass, Deidara is still attracted to him.

"Where is your home?" Deidara asks, still dragging him along like a lost child.

"Don't worry, I'll get there okay," Sasori says, hiccupping a little.

"You aren't driving, are you?" Deidara asks, concerned.

"No," Sasori shakes his head roughly and hiccups, "I take the bus."

"Then I can walk you to the bus stop," Deidara says, eager to see Sasori off safely. For some reason, Deidara is feeling overly protective of the redhead at the moment.

They get to the bus stop and Deidara watches as Sasori stumbles on. Then he turns and heads home, head spinning once more with all the information he's received. He takes a deep breath, trying to also calm down his heart, which is squeezing tight after simply holding Sasori's hand.

 _Oh boy_ , Deidara thinks, _I really have it bad for him…I even walked him to the bus stop to make sure he got home safe!_

Getting emotionally involved with someone in a case is never good, as Tsunade had lectured over and over again. Deidara should probably say something, should probably leave this case to Jiraiya, but he's already in this far. He feels like he's getting closer to unlocking this case every day, and Sasori is the key. He'll have to ignore his feelings as best as he can, and focus on finding out the secrets to this group.

Uncovering the truth will be hard, but hiding his emotions is going to be a much more difficult challenge.


	6. Mutual Attraction

"Konan's file is just as clean as Sasori's," Jiraiya says on the other line the next morning.

"Just as I expected. I'd like to read it over anyways," Deidara says, "I have a feeling she's also involved with Sasori and Hidan."

"Alright, you're doing good work," Jiraiya says, "I'll keep looking into things on my end. Sorry to end the conversation short, but I have to go to a teacher's meeting." He sounds very unenthused about this.

"Alright, talk to you later then," Deidara says, hanging up.

He looks back through his phone, realizing that he's missed several text messages, all from Sasori.

Looks like Deidara was right, he does regret saying all his drunken confessions. He sent three texts, all desperate attempts at apologizing for his behavior:

'Naruko, sorry about last night, I don't really remember everything I said, but I know it probably wasn't good'

'Hey, you there? Are you mad?'

'Okay, I get that you're mad. I'm a stupid ass when I'm drunk, sorry again.'

Deidara sighs, trying not to think how cute it is that Sasori is apologizing (basically groveling) for his actions. He responds with: 'It's okay, we all do stupid things when we're drunk.' His mind thinks back to how close Sasori came to him last night, and how he had confessed that he was resisting temptation…Deidara feels his cheeks grow warm at the thought of his own temptations that he's battling with.

Sasori responds in no time: 'Okay. Sorry again. Do you want to meet up to work on our project after class today?'

Deidara chuckles, thinking about the redhead saying 'sorry' so much. It's a little out of character, he must really feel bad for coming on to Naruko last night. Deidara replies: 'Sure, anytime after 5pm is good.'

Sasori surprises him with the next text: 'Okay, we can meet at my place this time, I'll send you my address.'

Deidara screams internally, but tells Sasori that it's a good plan, and that he'll see him later. He's finally going to Sasori's place! He wonders what Sasori's house will look like, who his roommates are, and what his bedroom looks like…

"Hey Sasuke," Deidara calls, "I won't be coming home after school today, I'm meeting up with a potential perp."

Sasuke comes sulking out from his bedroom, "Fine by me. You're never really around anyway. I don't see why we're still pretending like we're together." He then closes the door to his room again, not giving Deidara a chance to retort.

Deidara rolls his eyes to himself, wondering the same thing. In fact, it sparks an idea in his head, although it's a risky one…and he'll have to ask both Naruko and Sasuke if it's okay…

He tables that idea in his brain for another time, and tries to focus on his classes for the day, and then visiting Sasori afterwards.

….

Deidara knocks on Sasori's door a few times before it's opened. His townhome is a quaint, small building, with a large oak tree out front. There's only one car parked in the little driveway; apparently Sasori lives alone. The redhead smiles warmly and Deidara inhales deeply before stepping inside, wondering what he'll find.

He's shocked to see how orderly and clean it is in Sasori's home. There isn't a trace of dust or a piece of trash to be seen. It even smells nice inside, like lavender and lilac.

"Wow, you're place is so nice," Deidara compliments, "didn't you say that it was dirty?"

Sasori shrugs, "I did some cleaning. Want to see my room?" The question is innocent, but Deidara's heart pounds against his chest all the same.

"Sure," he says.

They step into Sasori's room, and Deidara takes a good look around, scoping out for any sign of his drug stash. Sasori's bed is large, probably king sized, with silky black sheets. His wall is a subdued, dark red color, covered with classical artwork prints. His desk is just as ordered and organized as the everything else in his house, with his textbooks stacked neatly, and in alphabetical order. On top of his dresser, stands small wooden puppets, all with uniquely distinct features. Deidara spots one with blonde hair…and whiskered cheeks. He immediately goes towards it, but Sasori cuts off his path with a fierce blush.

"Oh, don't mind that. It's just some woodwork that I do, and you have an interesting face, so I was inspired and um," he's completely abashed, and rambling on until he finally shuts up.

But Deidara has never felt more flattered in his life. He picks up the doll and inspects it carefully, noticing the attention to detail. The doll wears a red and black dress, with matching black nail polish on her miniature fingers. Her eyes are as blue as Deidara's, and her golden hair matches his hue perfectly.

Sasori is shifting his weight uncomfortably, not sure how Deidara/Naruko will react. "This is beautiful," Deidara finally manages to whisper. He's so moved by this artwork, he actually begins to understand and respect Sasori's view on art. It's truly amazing.

He places the doll back on its stand gingerly, looking at Sasori with a newfound admiration. If it weren't for his fake relationship with Sasuke, Deidara would definitely pounce Sasori right now. The large bed is only a few feet away…and Deidara's mind is full of dirty thoughts of all the things they could do on that bed.

But it can't happen. Because Deidara is still pretending to be someone else, still fooling Sasori. And apparently, he's doing a good job of fooling him.

His spirits deflate like a balloon, and he suddenly feels quite depressed. But he puts on a fake smile and says, "we should get started on our painting."

Sasori eyes him carefully, "Yeah."

…..

They work quietly for some time, both engrossed in making their painting a true piece of art.

Sasori breaks the quiet with a small throat clear, and Deidara already knows what's coming, "So…about yesterday…"

"It's alright. You got wasted on a Wednesday, just like you wanted," Deidara teases.

"I feel horrible though Naruko…I mean," he's blushing like crazy, and Deidara is overwhelmed with the urge to pinch his cheeks. He resists the urge, biting his bottom lip to stop himself. Sasori continues, sighing heavily, "I was inappropriate. You have a boyfriend, I know that. I'm sorry again."

"Like I said, it's alright. I already knew you found me attractive anyways," Deidara says back with a wink and a smile.

Sasori blushes harder and puts on a defiant scowl, "There you go making assumptions again."

"Well, it's not an assumption if it's right, is it?" Deidara says back. Teasing Sasori is actually quite fun. He's never seen this many different shades of red on one face before.

"Hm, fine, I think you're gorgeous, is that what you want me to admit?" Sasori says it with some vehemence, but Deidara's heart beats fast against his chest nonetheless. He's never been called gorgeous before. Deidara stammers for a minute before Sasori asks, with a slight smirk, "am I wrong to assume that you find me attractive as well?"

"Huh? What – wait, that's beside the point! You were the drunk one yesterday. You're the one who acted a fool, not me," Deidara says, unwilling to admit anything to Sasori.

"And I apologized. We're past that now. So now I want to know, do you think I'm good looking?" Sasori steps closer to him, he's only a few inches away, his hazel orbs baring deep into Deidara's blue ones.

Deidara's head is spinning under that intense stare. Somehow, he spills the truth, "Yes. Fine. Ok. You got me. I think you're hot. Now will you step back please?" It's suddenly feeling quite warm in the room.

Sasori smirks again, a big, almost goofy grin at that admission. He doesn't say another word as he slowly walks back to the canvas he was working on, picking up his paintbrush and dipping it in the orange paint.

Deidara, however, can't seem to move a muscle.

…

They work in silence for the next hour, Deidara is still feeling too tense to utter a word. They're nearly finished with half of the project, the sunrise is almost done. Deidara strokes in a few more lines of red and orange, and steps back carefully, looking at the canvas.

"What do you think?" Deidara asks, finally breaking their silence.

"It looks great, I think we're finished with that one," Sasori comments.

"Really?" Deidara steps forward with a grin. He feels accomplished, proud of their work together. Sasori is eyeing him carefully, with a big smile. "You and I actually work pretty well together, huh?" Deidara asks, looking back at Sasori.

Sasori is drawing closer to him, seemingly unaware of anything else in the room besides Deidara (Naruko). Before Deidara can stop him or pull away, Sasori's lips are upon his. The kiss is short, and innocent, but sends electricity pulsing through Deidara's body. His lips are tingling when Sasori pulls back, exhaling sharply. The only thing Deidara can hear is the pounding of his heart – the kiss was so sudden and unexpected, but extremely bold. Deidara feels turned on, despite his best efforts to stay calm.

Sasori's eyes are wide, as he realizes what he's just done. He clamps his hand over his mouth, face beet red. "Oh no," he says, "I'm sorry Naruko. I-I shouldn't have done that." He backs away, looking fearful.

"I-It's okay Sasori," Deidara assures him, "Um." This is awkward, and Deidara doesn't know what else to say. Part of him wants to run away and hide in a ditch, but another part of him wants to grab Sasori and kiss him forcefully.

Sasori turns away from Deidara, apparently feeling too ashamed to look at him/her. "Maybe you should go. I promise this won't happen again. I don't know what came over me."

"O-okay," Deidara says, "I-I'll text you."

"Yeah. Sure. Bye," Sasori says quickly, still cowering away from him, feeling totally embarrassed with himself for acting like a fool.

Deidara leaves, heart still fluttering and lips still prickling. He touches his lips with his fingers, to make sure that they can still feel the sensation of touch. That kiss…it was breathtaking.

Deidara is in too deep, he cares too much for Sasori already. But the show must go on as they say…and Deidara must continue to play as Naruko, and he has the perfect ploy now. If Deidara can keep this up, and continue to get closer to Sasori's heart, then he'll definitely learn all of his secrets. But at what cost? He's playing with Sasori's heart, toying with it and wrapping the redhead around his finger. Deidara doesn't like the thought of Sasori finding out the truth about him later, and getting his heart broken. But an opportunity like this is pure gold for Deidara…and a small part of him _wants_ to keep this up, wants to play along so that he can get closer to Sasori. It's naïve, perhaps, but Deidara thinks that somehow, maybe, he can save Sasori from everything. Maybe he can convince him to leave Hidan and his group, to cease his criminal activity.

It's the reason that Deidara decides to enact the plan that he thought of that morning.

…..

"You want to do _what?"_ Sasuke asks incredulously.

"I know it sounds crazy. But if you and I stage a break-up, then I can get closer to Sasori," Deidara explains again.

"And this Sasori guy has all the information you need for this case? And you can't get it unless you get in his pants? If you get close to him it'll be pretty obvious that you aren't a girl you know…" Sasuke warns.

Deidara rolls his eyes, "I won't do that, obviously," he's getting hot just _thinking_ about it, but tries to cool down as he's in the presence of Sasuke, "but I think this guy is careful about who he talks to, and if I pretend to be his girlfriend, then I can extract out the rest of the information I need. You and the real Naruko don't have to actually break up, of course."

"Yeah, I get that," Sasuke says sardonically, "but the rest of our friends will think we're actually apart…and I don't know if Naruko will like that."

"Well," Deidara sighs, knowing Sasuke's going to get mad at this, "I already spoke with Naruko earlier today. I called her, and she said it would be okay as long as it helps with the mission."

"You did what!?" Sasuke's eyes flash red with anger, "You asked her before me!? And she said _yes_ to this stupid plan?"

"Yeah, go ask her yourself. Sakura will know about this plan too, I'll stay at her place when we break up," Deidara says.

"I guess I have no choice in the matter then. Fine. It'll be better without you here anyways," Sasuke says, disgruntled. Deidara holds back another eye roll – Sasuke can be so melodramatic sometimes.

…..

A few days later, Deidara finds himself moving his boxes into Sakura's small car. Luckily, he doesn't have much stuff, just some boxes full of his lady-clothes and then boxes that are secretly filled with notes and files on this case.

Sakura hums a little tune to herself while driving the fake-Naruko to her place. "I made some chicken curry and rice for tonight, does that sound okay?" she asks.

"That sounds wonderful," Deidara says, mouth watering, "Sasuke never cooked anything nice for me."

Sakura laughs, "He's not very hospitable, is he? I know he cooks for Naruko, I guess he's just been too upset about this whole ordeal to be polite." Deidara smiles at her, already glad that he made this decision. Living with Sakura sounds loads better than living with Sasuke (although a small part of his brain wishes he could live with Sasori…but stop thinking that!)

…

Deidara cleaned the dishes after dinner, grateful to Sakura for his first real meal in weeks. Afterwards, he checks his phone again.

He hasn't heard a word from Sasori since their shared kiss, not even about this project. Sasori ducked out of class quickly the other day, and has been avoiding contact with Deidara.

Deidara sighs, wondering how long Sasori plans on giving him the silent treatment. He decides it would be best to just call him, so he does. The phone rings for a few beats before Sasori answers, "Hello Naruko," he says, sounding a tiny bit put out.

"Hi Sasori-"

"Listen," Sasori cuts him off before he can say anything, "I just want to apologize again. I can understand if you're mad, really. We can just focus on our project and I understand if you don't want to hang out with me anymore."

"I'm not mad," Deidara says, imagining a frantic and apologetic redhead on the other line, "Actually, it's really alright. I –um- wanted to kiss you back."

The line is silent for a moment. Then Sasori clears this throat, "W-what about Sasuke?"

"He and I broke up a few days ago. I just moved in with my friend Sakura," Deidara informs him.

Again, more silence. Sasori seems to be chewing this over carefully before making his next inquiry. "So," he finally says, "did you guys break up because…because I kissed you?"

"No," Deidara says, "This isn't your fault. Sasuke and I have been on rocky waters for a while now, as I've said before. I don't want to get too much into the details ya know."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I mean, I will be. I was a little upset at first, break-ups are never easy ya know. But I think I feel better now that I'm not living with him," Deidara says, relaying from personal experience with past exes.

"Oh ok," Sasori says, "You sound like you're doing okay. You're a strong, independent woman."

Deidara chuckles, "Yeah, you got that right. So anyways…I just wanted to call you to –um- clear that up. And to also tell you that…that I didn't push away from your kiss. To be honest, I kind of liked it," Deidara is red from head to toe explaining this, extremely grateful that he's doing this on the phone.

"I liked it too," Sasori says, more of his self-confidence coming back into his voice, "and to be honest, I'm glad to hear that you're single. Is there any chance you'd like to go on a date with me? If it's too soon I understand."

"It's okay. Actually, a date might be nice. But maybe let's just take things slow, is that okay?" Deidara says. He needs to emphasize about taking things slow…there's absolutely no way he can get past the kissing stage with Sasori or this whole plan will be ruined. The second Sasori finds out Naruko isn't a girl…things will definitely go south.

"That's fine by me. We can do something relaxing and just spend the day together somewhere," Sasori suggests.

"That sounds perfect, ya know," Deidara agrees.

"Great. How about this Saturday? I'll pick you up," Sasori says, sounding excited.

"Yeah, that works," Deidara says. They work out a time for Sasori to pick up Naruko, and then Deidara tells him Sakura's address. So far, the plan is working smoothly. On a date with Sasori, Deidara should be able to ask more questions and get closer to him, and hopefully learn more about this secretive organization.

He can't deny that he's also really excited to go out with Sasori. He spends the rest of his evening wondering where Sasori will take him, and what he should wear. In his daydreams of his date with Sasori, he goes as himself, not as Naruko. He wishes he could make that daydream a reality.


	7. Date

"So where are we going?" Deidara asks while he slides into Sasori's car.

Sasori smirks, "It's a surprise. Have some patience."

"Hm, a surprise? I don't know if I like surprises," Deidara says honestly, recalling some horrible dates from his past.

"You'll like this one," Sasori tells Deidara, zooming onto the highway.

A half hour later, they are pulling up into the parking lot of the local art museum. Deidara has star eyes, staring up at the building. He's lived in this city for several years, but somehow never had a chance to go to the art museum yet.

"We're going to the museum! I'm so excited!" Deidara squeals, forgetting for a split second that this date is technically just part of his mission as an undercover cop.

Sasori smiles, "I thought it would be appropriate, considering how we met."

Sasori is a true gentleman with Deidara, he goes around to open the car door for him and takes him by the hand up to the ticket booth and covers the expense. Once in the museum, Sasori lets Deidara take the lead, allowing him to explore to his heart's content.

Deidara is so enthralled by the art, and by Sasori's presence, that he forgets for a moment that he's an undercover cop. He forgets about asking Sasori questions about his secret group. He forgets even that he's playing a college aged girl, and he lets his true personality out. He simply enjoys the date, marveling at all the wonderful artwork in the museum and holding tight to Sasori's hand.

They look at some larger than life sized paintings first, holding hands, their breath taken away. "Wow," Sasori breathes, "that's amazing. True art. It's so big." He's looking up at a painting of a ship in tumultuous waters. The wooden hull is in chaos, being thrown around by the vicious, deadly sea. The ship's crew run around with panic stricken looks on their faces, fearful of their impending doom. The painting seems to come alive, and it's almost too eerie for Deidara to look at.

"I can't believe someone painted that by themselves…it's so scary," Deidara whispers. "All those people are going to die."

"Not necessarily. We are only seeing one snapshot of the story here," Sasori says, still in awe of the beautiful colors on the canvas that bring this painting to life. "See that guy there?" Deidara looks where he's pointing, "he's the captain, the commander of the ship. He looks calm despite the storm. He knows what to do," Sasori says.

"Wow, you have a good eye for art," Deidara compliments.

"Well, I _am_ an art major," Sasori replies, causing Deidara to chuckle a little.

Deidara draws closer to the painting, he's sucked in by the thunderous waves and the pure chaos of it all. He studies the captain's face again, realizing that Sasori is right – he's at ease, with a poised determination, as though he knows exactly how to sail through this mess and bring his crew to safety. Deidara is a little jealous of the captain at that moment – how can someone be so calm under such pressure? He wishes he could be like that with Sasori. He wishes he could steer Sasori out of the storm that he knows is coming…if only he had that composed, steadfast fortitude of the captain in this painting.

Sasori breaks Deidara's downward spiraling train of thought, "come here Naruko, you have to see this woodcarving, it's absolutely amazing!"

Deidara follows him excitedly, but knows that the captain of that ship will haunt his nightmares.

…..

"Oh wow! Surrealism!" Deidara says excitedly when they walk into a new room about an hour later.

"This…is a little weird to me," Sasori admits, looking at the odd painting before him. It's chaotic, with a combination of melting fruit and tigers.

"It's transient," Deidara says admirably.

"How so?" Sasori asks skeptically, eyeing him.

"Fruit perishes. That's why it's melting un," Deidara says.

"Hm," Sasori says, taking a closer look, "I guess art is up to interpretation. If that's what you see Naruko, then that's what it is to you."

"Yeah, that's why art is so amazing," Deidara says, "I bet you'll be a great artist someday." Sasori blushes furiously, looking a little stunned by this compliment.

"I'm really glad I took you here. Are you having a good time?" Sasori asks, placing his hands on Deidara's waist. He kisses Deidara's forehead innocently, and Deidara does all he can to not melt into a puddle on the floor of the art museum.

"Yes, I am," Deidara says, "honestly, this is one of the best dates I've ever been on." And Deidara means that. He's never had anyone put such thought into a first date before. Sasori planned out a nice, unique day for them. Most first dates are just at the movies or bowling, but Sasori didn't cop out with a typical cliché date, he brought Deidara to an art museum, a place that he knew Deidara would truly enjoy. The only problem, of course, is that Sasori isn't on a date with Deidara, he's on a date with Naruko. Deidara feels his insides turn sour again, and he does all he can to ignore the bile that builds up in his throat.

"You alright?" Sasori asks. Deidara must have been making a face.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just…I'm just glad that I'm here with you…but there's still so much you don't know about me," Deidara says, knowing he must sound a little silly.

Sasori chuckles, "well, that's why we're on a date Naruko, so I can get to know you better."

"What if…I have secrets that I can't tell you?" Deidara knows he shouldn't be saying this, that he should just enjoy the date. But he can't ignore the squirming, gnawing guilt.

"We all have secrets. You don't have to tell me things you don't want to. This is just our first date, relax," Sasori says reassuringly, rubbing Deidara's shoulder.

Deidara takes a deep breath, trying to take Sasori's advice. He does feel a little better, and he swallows down the guilt as best as he can. He has a job to do here, he can't let his emotions get the best of him. When all is said and done, there's just simply no way he and Sasori can ever go out on a real date, so he might as well enjoy this while he can.

Sasori walks Deidara around the last few exhibits and they hold hands quietly, observing the artwork in silence. Deidara admires everything he sees, and he soon forgets his worries as he stares at the beautiful paintings and sculptures.

When they exit the museum, Deidara is grinning from ear to ear again, "This was wonderful, thank you Sasori."

"Of course. And we're still not done yet," he chimes excitedly.

"Oh? Where to next?"

"Well, I thought we could get some ice cream if you'd like?" Sasori asks.

"That sounds wonderful!"

…

Deidara orders peach flavored ice cream, and Sasori gets chocolate cherry. Sasori laughs derisively at Deidara's flavor choice. "What?" Deidara asks, narrowing his eyes.

"You may not like me mentioning this, but don't you remember I called you peach once? You got so mad," Sasori says, recalling that particular conversation from class a few weeks ago.

"Yeah," Deidara sighs, "I remember it ya know."

"So, if I can't call you 'peach' or 'honey,' then what sort of nickname should I give you?" Sasori asks.

Deidara blushes furiously, "Why do I need a nickname?"

Sasori takes a lick of his ice cream and then answers bluntly, "because a cute girl like yourself deserves a cute nickname, don't you think?"

"Hm," Deidara doesn't have a response to that. He's flattered that Sasori finds him cute, although, again, it's for the wrong reasons…

"You can call me a nickname if you'd like," Sasori offers, wiggling his eyebrows. Deidara chuckles at his poor attempt to be sexy.

"Isn't it a bit early for that? This is just the first date after all…besides, I'm no good with that kind of stuff," Deidara admits, thinking back to all the horrible pet-names he's tried on his former boyfriends. Not one of them were amused.

"I'm sure you can come up with something, you are rather creative," Sasori says.

"Well…" Deidara blushes, not wanting to continue.

"Yes? Did you think of one!?"

"You won't like it…but, I always thought the word 'Danna' was kind of endearing…it means 'master,' but for some reason, I like that word…" Deidara hides his mouth with a big bite of his ice cream.

"Danna…I like that. I'm your master?" Sasori has a curious look on his face, and he leans in closer to Deidara.

Deidara turns red again, "No, you're definitely not my master! That's just one meaning of the word! Danna can also mean husband…but the meaning really doesn't matter! I just like that word!" Deidara cries frantically, trying not to put suggestive thoughts into Sasori's head.

It's too late though.

"Master or husband? I rather like this nickname," Sasori says with a smirk. "Now, what shall I call you Naruko?"

"Um," Deidara wishes he could crawl into a hole. Why is Sasori so intent on nicknames? No one's ever given him a proper, cute nickname before.

"Well, with those whiskers on your cheeks, and your feisty temper-"

"Hey, I'm not feisty!" Deidara yells, contradicting himself.

Sasori smiles, "Hm, there you go with that fire. I like that about you though, don't get me wrong. I think I'd like to call you foxy, or something like that."

"Foxy?!"

"Yeah, you're a foxy lady," Sasori says.

Deidara feels his temple pulse, he doesn't quite like that nickname. Before he knows what he's doing, there's a smattering of peach ice cream all over Sasori's chin. Deidara pushed his ice cream cone into Sasori's face. He quickly pulls it back, watching the ice cream drip down from Sasori's cheek and chin, holding back a laugh.

Sasori looks surprised for a moment, but then he laughs, sticking his tongue out to lick up the ice cream. "You brat," he says, although he doesn't sound mad. Deidara sighs in relief and joins in laughing.

"Hm, well, I think I'd prefer being called 'brat' to 'foxy,'" Deidara says, licking what's left of his ice cream cone.

"Alright then," Sasori says, still licking the melted ice cream off his face, "I'll call you brat." Sasori then swoops his arm up and rubs some of his chocolate cherry ice cream on Deidara's face. Deidara yelps and backs away, he should've seen that one coming.

"Argh, what did I get myself into?" Deidara cries, licking the sticky ice cream off his own face. Sasori is laughing at the sight, and his laughter is contagious. Deidara soon joins in, letting his annoyance disappear. He hasn't messed around with someone like this in a long time.

Sasori draws closer after laughing, placing his thumb on Deidara's cheek. "You're still covered in ice cream here," he says softly, before leaning in and licking it off of Deidara's cheek.

Deidara freezes for a moment. Sasori's soft, wet tongue against his cheek – it's sexy, and too much for him to handle. He's at risk of losing all composure, and his groin suddenly feels tight, as his member aches to be released from that damn gaff. Deidara backs away and turns his face to the side, escaping from Sasori's curious tongue.

"Oh, sorry," Sasori says, "I-I know we're supposed to take things slow. I shouldn't have done that." He backs away, looking ashamed, and biting his lower lip.

"It's okay," Deidara says, wiping the rest of the ice cream off his cheek with a napkin (being careful and mindful of the fact that if he wipes too hard, the penciled in whiskers will begin to fade). "I-I didn't mind, really, I was just taken aback a little," he adds in honestly. In another time and place, Deidara would've let Sasori lick him all over his face…and other places as well probably. He shakes his head, trying to rid himself of those dirty thoughts.

Sasori grins, "That makes me happy…but I think you're right, that for now, we should take things slow…I don't want to rush anything after your recent break up with Sasuke."

"Yeah," Deidara agrees, grateful that Sasori is being so kind about everything. His heart swells and then tightens uncomfortably – Sasori is really a nice guy. He hates that he's playing him like this, tricking him into falling for someone that he thinks is someone else.

"We should get back anyways," Sasori says, looking at the time. It's still early, but Sasori wants to bring Naruko back at a decent time for their first date.

Sasori takes Deidara's hand and they walk together, back to Sasori's car. They are almost there when Sasori jolts and stops in his tracks. Deidara looks at where Sasori's eyes are glued, noting that he spotted a woman with purple hair.

"Sasori?" the woman asks, as though she's surprised to see him out and about.

"Konan," Sasori says, "What are you doing here?"

"Hello," she responds curtly, ignoring his question, "I see you're out on a date, that's sweet. But I expect I will see you tonight, right?"

"Yes, of course, I know. I'll be there," Sasori says in a hurried manner.

"Good, I'll text you the address," Konan says before turning around and leaving without so much as a goodbye. She didn't even bother to introduce herself to Sasori's date.

Deidara's eyes narrow with suspicion, and there's something funny boiling in his stomach, "Who was that?"

"That's Konan…she's part of that, um, group," Sasori says awkwardly.

"I remember you mentioning her to me when you were drunk the other night. You said you found her attractive," Deidara says scathingly.

"Oh, are you jealous?" Sasori asks with a chiding grin. Deidara pouts and turns his face away, recognizing that tiny monstrous feeling inside his chest. It's definitely jealousy, and he doesn't like it. He shouldn't be feeling jealous, he should be focusing on the fact that he's found another member of this elusive gang – Konan had a matching ring as well, he had just barely caught a glimpse at it before she walked away.

"Naruko," Sasori squeezes his hand tight, "You don't have to be jealous, she's just a friend, that's it. We just have a meeting with everyone tonight, sort of like a business meeting."

"A business meeting with your drug dealers?" Deidara asks with one eyebrow raised.

"Shh," Sasori places a finger on Deidara's lips, "don't be so loud. As I said before, mind your own business when it comes to this."

"Hm," Deidara scowls, "I guess you have your secrets too…" He knows defeat when he sees it, and Sasori definitely won't tell him anything about this upcoming meeting.

So when Sasori opens the passenger car door, Deidara pries Sasori's phone out of his pocket. He does it quickly, and slyly, so that Sasori doesn't notice. While Sasori walks around to the driver's side, Deidara has just enough time to peek at Konan's text. He records the info in his mind, memorizing the address in a matter of seconds before Sasori slides into the car. While Sasori backs the car out of the lot, Deidara carefully places the phone back into Sasori's pocket, but while doing so, has to feign that he's simply placing his hand on Sasori's thigh. Deidara blushes at the tiny surprised sound that emits from Sasori.

"Oh," Sasori says, noting Deidara's hand on his thigh, "you must get jealous easily."

"Shut up," Deidara says, looking out the window as the car drives by lush green trees.

Sasori wraps his hand around Deidara's, "You don't have to worry. You're the only person I'm interested in."

Deidara turns red and chances a look at Sasori. His eyes reveal the truth. "Did you enjoy the date? I hope I wasn't too forward with you just now," Sasori says, still holding tightly onto Deidara's hand.

"It's alright. I really did have fun," Deidara says honestly, flashing a smile back at Sasori. He can't help but smile when he's in Sasori's presence, despite the inner turmoil.

…

When Sasori drops Deidara back off at Sakura's home, he doesn't try to kiss him. True to his word, he holds back, taking this date one slow step at a time. They agree to text soon about meeting up for their project, and then for a second date. Sasori is over the moon with happiness when Deidara agrees to go on a second date with him.

Deidara watches longingly as Sasori drives away. He wishes that this scenario could be different, perhaps in another universe and time, where Deidara could be himself fully.

He sighs, composing himself again. There's still work to be done.

He rushes indoors and frantically writes down all the information he was reciting in his head on a piece of paper. Konan's text said they were meeting at 9:30pm, and it gave the address of an apartment. This is Deidara's perfect opportunity to really get involved and find out what's going on.


	8. Lure

At precisely 8:30pm, an hour before Sasori's arrival, Deidara drums on the door of the apartment, eager to properly introduce himself (well, herself) to Konan. He's slightly nervous to see what lays beyond this door…everything rests on this moment. Coming here is a big risk, he knows this.

She opens the door and looks shocked for a moment, and then her eyelids droop back to their distrusting glare. "How can I help you?" Her voice is full of poisonous mistrust.

"I saw you earlier today while Sasori and I were walking out of the ice cream shop, I'm his date, Naruko," Deidara says hurriedly. Konan raises an eyebrow, and Deidara resists the urge to tell her off for being rude. "Anyways, I know all about this little organization of yours, and I want in." He decides that being bold and blunt is the best course of action here. He stands his ground, trying not to show his fear. He's a cop, he shouldn't be scared in the least, right?

Konan looks him up and down for a moment, trying to decipher if he's telling the truth or not. Seeing no hint of a lie, she says, "Come in."

Deidara holds his composure, although he's quite shocked that she's willing to let in a perfect stranger into her apartment, and with no questions. He keeps his guard up though, which proved to be the right decision.

As soon as the door closes behind him, Konan pins Deidara to the wall and clasps his neck with surprising force. Deidara grabs her arm, ready to snap it at any moment. "What the hell do you know?!" Konan hisses. "What did Sasori tell you?!"

"Get your claws off me and I'll explain," Deidara says, trying not to wince and doing all he can to keep his girlish voice from cracking back to his regular tone.

"N-Naruko!?" A voice calls out from behind Konan. Konan lets her grip loosen and Deidara scurries away from her to look at the person who recognized him. He has long black hair, tied in a loose ponytail at the back of his head. Those eyes, they're so much like Sasuke's that Deidara doesn't even have to guess who this is – he already knows.

"Itachi," he says in a low voice.

"You know her?" Konan asks Itachi.

"Yeah," Itachi says, as he looks Deidara up and down. Deidara can see it – Itachi knows that he isn't the real Naruko. "I know her."

"Can I trust her?" Konan asks. There's a moment of stiff silence in the room, and Deidara is on pins and needles – Itachi's response could make or break this mission. He could ruin everything right here and now if he wanted to.

"Yeah. But let me speak with her in private for a minute," Itachi says. Konan nods and backs away. She must really trust Itachi's opinion if she will just leave this stranger with him like that.

Itachi pulls open the door and leads Deidara back out into the cold, searching all around before lowering his voice into a seething whisper, "What the hell is this? You're an undercover cop?"

Deidara manages to keep his voice calm, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Please. I've known Sasuke my whole life, which means I've known Naruko my whole life. I heard what happened to her, and that there would be an investigation. I never knew that the cops were going undercover as _her,_ " Itachi says.

"If you know about all this…then why are you in this organization? If you're willing to cooperate with me here, then things can go very smoothly for you," Deidara says. He's only half surprised to find that Itachi is part of this gang – from the way Sasuke was talking about him the other day, Deidara had his suspicions.

"I'd like to cooperate…and I will. I'll tell you as much as I can…but, I have my own reasons for being involved, and I've already accepted that I'll probably do time for this." Itachi says.

"You're okay with that? What kind of reason could you possibly have? You're involved in the campus's largest organized crime group, you realize that right?" Deidara simply doesn't understand why Itachi, and Sasori for that matter, seem to think that being involved with crime is justified. Did someone blackmail them into doing all of this?

"I can't tell you that…in fact, it's probably not a good idea for the cops to be snooping in on this matter, you better be careful." His eyes shift back and forth again uncomfortably, as though he's constantly watching for any eavesdroppers. He looks extremely paranoid.

"That's why we're undercover," Deidara reminds him.

"Hm. Well…alright. I assume you are trying to get involved with selling? You'll have to convince Konan that you can be trusted…and you'll need a reason to sell," Itachi says.

"Of course. I know that already."

"Alright. I'll trust you…I can't solve this whole thing myself, but maybe you can. Let's go inside," Itachi turns and opens the door again, leaving Deidara puzzled by his mysterious comment.

Once inside, Deidara takes a seat next to Itachi on the couch, with Konan across from them. "So, I assume you heard about this organization from Sasori? Did he try to sell to you?"

"Well, Hidan tried to sell to me a few weeks back…I said no and he punched me. Then I met Sasori, and when I found out that he also knew Hidan, I put two and two together. I want in on this organization to help him out ya know. He said that he needs to make money quick, and then he can get out of doing this." Deidara explains.

"Ah, how noble of you," Konan says mockingly, with narrowed eyes. It's clear that she still doesn't trust Naruko. "You don't seem like the type who would get involved with anything illegal. So why would you do this for Sasori?"

Deidara blushes, "Well…ya know…he's close to me."

"Hm," Konan gives a ghost of a smile, it's the first time Deidara's seen her lips curve upwards, "You love him." She seems to understand this as though it's a fact, and she too can relate.

"What! No!" Deidara throws out his hands, "I just – I just want to help him ya know! Why can't it be that simple?"

"Things are never that simple. But, if you're really serious about this, then there's only one way to prove it. I'll need to watch you take a bump of lure, to prove that you're willing to go this far. If you want to sell it, then you need to know what it's like. You have to experience it firsthand," Konan says.

Deidara nods, he expected this. Undercover cops have to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of a crime, and sometimes that includes doing illegal drugs or activities to prove themselves. "Alright. What happens when I take the drug?" Deidara wants to at least have an idea of what he's getting himself into. He tries not to show his fear – he hasn't done any hard drugs in his life, he's only ever smoked weed and drank alcohol. But this is part of his job. He can't back out now.

Konan leans in close and whispers, "It's like nothing you've ever tasted." She pulls out a small bag of white powder, "you put some on your tongue, and you'll feel the effects almost instantly. You'll feel like you're high, on top of a cloud. Your senses will heighten, touching things feels electric. Your body will crave pleasures, your very nerves will be lit from the slightest touch or sensation. Many customers like to use it right before sex, as it makes the experience completely different, and so purely sensual – that's why it's called lure, it lures your sexual drive out to play."

Deidara feels a shiver crawl up his spine – this drug sounds dangerous, and too good to be true. "What are the side effects?"

"Your mouth may water a little, but you probably won't notice. You're eyes will dilate and your skin might become hot. But other than that, there are no side effects. That's what makes it so enticing – there's no crash, no paranoia, no withdrawal. Just pleasure." The way she talks about this drug – it's so rehearsed. Deidara can tell that she's had lots of practice explaining it to others.

She holds out the bag to Deidara, who takes it with slightly shaky hands. He takes a deep breath and then sticks his finger in the bag and coats it with the powder. He lifts it up and Konan nods, egging him on. There's no turning back now. Deidara licks the powder off his finger. It has a slightly sour taste to it, but it isn't unpleasant. He sits there for a while, feeling pressured by having Konan and Itachi staring at him so intently.

And then he starts to feel it. It comes in a wave, slowing washing over his body, electrifying all his senses at once. The couch suddenly feels like the softest, most cushiony object in existence, and Deidara feels like he could melt into it perfectly and peacefully. He moves his hands outwards, they suddenly have this urge to touch something, anything. The feel of the couch beneath him, so soft and so smooth, nearly makes him moan. His hand finds Itachi's thigh, and he squeezes it. He can nearly feel the blood pumping through Itachi's leg, and it is miraculous.

But Itachi moves away, eyeing him suspiciously, "Don't touch me," he says.

"And don't you dare think about touching me either," Konan warns.

"Yahiko is the only person who can touch Konan," Itachi says with a smirk. Konan shoots him a viscous glare. Although Deidara is high, he still picks up on this and stores that name away for later.

Deidara groans longingly, his fingers are tingling, he has to do something about it. "I know what that drug does to you, but you'll have to resist those urges," Konan says, crossing her legs.

Deidara sighs, and says the first thing that comes to mind, "Sasori." He looks around the room, and his eyes catch the painting on the wall behind Konan. It's so beautiful, a simple red flower, he almost wants to cry. Seeing it through this vision, it's like the colors are more powerful, more vivid and real. It reminds him of his date with Sasori, and his heart bursts with longing to see him. That red hair, his musky scent, his sarcastic remarks and that heartwarming, rare smile. All of it. He wants all of Sasori, right now.

Konan smirks, "I knew it. He'll be here any moment anyways."

Deidara realizes that it's already 9:30, he was planning on being gone by now. Where did the time go? But now it's too late. A knock on the door sends his ears to heaven, the sound is so glorious. He wants to listen to more, he hopes that Sasori is on the other side of the door.

Konan opens the door to a stranger, a man with short black hair and a goofy grin. Konan sighs, "Tobi, hello."

"Hi there!" This Tobi seems overly excited. He bounces into the room and his eyes widen when he sees Deidara's slumped figure on the couch, "oh, a new recruit?" His voice is an annoying high pitched squeal.

"She wanted to join," Konan explains, "so now she's going through initiation."

"Oh, so cruel Konan. She looks too innocent to sell the drug, why is she here?" Tobi seems to have a lot of questions. Deidara is half-listening, waiting for the door to open again and for his knight in red armor to come in.

Tobi is jabbering away with Itachi and Konan until a loud knock interrupts them again. Deidara's heartbeat quickens in anticipation, but it isn't Sasori. A few more people walk in this time – a sharp toothed tall man by the name of Kisame and a deathly skinny, dark red haired male by the name of Nagato. He and Konan seem close, as he is the only one who sits next to her without her making a big stink of things. They whisper softly to each other, too low for anyone else to hear. Kisame is boisterous and proud, bragging about all the sales he made just today. He greets Deidara by patting his head, ruffling up his blonde hair. "Another newbie, excellent!" Itachi rolls his eyes at him.

The place suddenly feels crowded with everyone there. The strange part is, the ambiance is much different than what Deidara expected. These people gathered here are friendly and warm with each other, they aren't the brooding, dark villainous types that normally form a gang. They all seem to enjoy each other's company, whether they'll admit it or not. It's as though they're in this together, and they understand something that Deidara doesn't. They all greet Deidara with sad smiles, as though they know that something sinister is inevitably going to swallow him. Perhaps these 'meetings' are just a way for them to let loose and relieve their tension.

Deidara is just wondering how he can suppress his inner cravings a moment longer when there's another loud banging on the door. His hopes rise up to his chest again, but when Konan opens it, he's disappointed to see Hidan there. Hidan waves hello to them and then pauses, shocked, when he sees Deidara. Deidara gets up slowly and glides over towards him, feeling like he's quite literally floating on a cloud. Even walking feels good with this drug.

But he's still angry with Hidan – or at least, Naruko would be. He promptly slaps his face, before Hidan can say anything. His palm tingles with something like hot electricity. It felt good to slap him, he opens and closes his fist, letting the blood flow back to his hand. Konan and Itachi seem aghast by this behavior, Kisame and Nagato are staring blankly, and Tobi is cracking up, but Deidara figures that this will prove that he's tough – he isn't going to take crap from anyone and he can sell this damn drug.

Hidan caresses his red cheek and smirks at him, looking him in the eye, "Hello Naruko, I'm surprised to see you here. Looks like you're under the influence," he nearly purrs as he notes Deidara's dilated pupils. "I probably deserved that slap. Are we even now?"

"Far from it," Deidara says, "but I do feel a little better ya know." He only wishes that Sasori could've been here to witness that epic slap.

"Good," Hidan says before grabbing Deidara's waist, his fingers crawling up his body. The slight touch sparks like fire throughout Deidara's being, but he doesn't want this – not from this guy. He pushes Hidan's arms away and snarls, "What are you doing?"

"Just giving you what you want. I bet your body can barely resist right now," Hidan says, drawing closer.

"No," Deidara pushes him away again, "Sasori."

There's a stifled laugh from behind Hidan, Deidara didn't even notice that someone else had walked in, "You got rejected by her again? Give it up."

"Shut up Kakuzu," Hidan seethes. He backs away from Deidara nonetheless, looking quite sour as he takes a seat by Itachi on the couch.

Deidara is still standing by the door, biding his time, waiting for Sasori. He has one hand on the wall, the roughness stimulating the nerves in his fingertips. But he wants more, needs more.

Finally, there's another knock on the door, and Deidara almost goes to answer it, he's itchy with impatience. But he allows Konan to get up and open it, with a knowing glance towards Deidara. Everyone in the room is silently watching as Sasori ambles in, hands buried deep in his pockets. He doesn't even bother to greet anyone.

His eyes roam around the room and then turn wide when he sees Deidara. "Wh-what are you doing here?" he asks, flabbergasted. His complexion becomes extremely pale.

Deidara can't stand this anymore. He swings his hips back and forth and skips forward, placing his arms around Sasori. He looks up into Sasori's eyes, and Sasori has a split second of realization before Deidara's lips are upon his.

The kiss is hot with energy, charged like no other kiss Deidara's ever experienced before. He pushes his mouth open, thrusting his tongue forward to taste Sasori. Sasori is pure silken honey, sweet and soft and pliable. Deidara moves his arms up and down Sasori's back, feeling each notch of his spine and the smoothness of his shirt. He longs to rip that shirt off of him, the desire for skin on skin contact is almost too much to bare.

There's a smattering of snickers behind Deidara, but he doesn't care. He could kiss Sasori to eternity, if it were possible. His lips are on fire, they feel so heavenly and Sasori's tongue against his is magical, the way it twists and moves in sync with his own.

But then Sasori pushes him away, causing a tiny hurt sound to emit from Deidara. He bites his bottom lip, which still tastes of Sasori. Sasori is looking him straight in the eye, with a mixture of anger and longing. He then zeroes in on Konan with force in his voice, "How dare you!"

"She wanted to join," Konan shrugs, "She said it was for your sake. She proved that she was serious by taking a bump of lure…and she obviously likes you."

"She took a rather big dose too," Itachi comments.

"I-I," Sasori is shaking, Deidara can feel it since his hands are still wrapped around him. He won't let go, can't let go. Touching him feels good, almost too good. His mind is fuzzy now, warped and bent by his absolute drive for pleasure.

Sasori pushes his arms off him and then takes Deidara's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. Deidara holds back a squeal of delight. "I'm taking her home. You can catch me up on the details later."

"But, you can't just leave now. She'll be fine," Hidan says.

"Yeah, we all went through that," Konan reminds.

"I don't care. I never…this shouldn't be happening. If I was here earlier, I wouldn't have ever allowed this," Sasori says.

Deidara is watching the scene play out as though he's on the sidelines. He wants to say something, but his minds is whirring so fast with thoughts of desire and sexual tension…he can't think straight. He wants to stay at this meeting, but Sasori is insistent that they leave. His tongue feels heavy, like lead, he probably couldn't talk even if he tried.

"You don't own her man," Hidan says, "she made the decision."

"She only did it to protect me," Sasori says, "but I need to protect her, so I'm leaving." Sasori's words echo throughout Deidara's being, and he's itchy, needy with the urge to feel Sasori. His heart flutters at those words and he wants to close the gap between them and tear off Sasori's clothes.

Luckily for him, Sasori drags them out of the apartment and back into the night. The first thing Deidara notices is the silence of being outside – it was loud in the apartment with all those people. Then he starts to hear the low murmurs of the night as Sasori drags him along – the whisper of the wind, the chirping of the crickets, the rustling of the leaves. It's all so beautiful, it's music to his ears.

They are almost to Sasori's car when Deidara says something about it, "It's so beautiful out tonight Sasori. Can you hear that? There's music everywhere." He wants to bask in it, to lay in the grass and just feel everything. The world is a truly amazing place.

"That's just the drug's effects," Sasori says a little unkindly, not even turning to look at Deidara.

Deidara feels crestfallen. Why won't Sasori acknowledge him? Is he really that angry?

Sasori helps Deidara get into the passenger seat. Deidara didn't even notice his stumbling and awkward movements under the effects of this drug. When Sasori buckles him in, Deidara tugs on his collar, trying to pull his lips down to a kiss. But Sasori pulls back and glowers. Deidara feels small and rejected, fearful that this might ruin everything between them. Their budding relationship is like a delicate lit candle, the slightest bend of the wind could easily snuff it out.

As Sasori drives them in silence, Deidara turns the window down so he can stick an arm out and feel the cool breeze glide over his skin. He's wearing a dress tonight, and the feel of the air between his thighs is intoxicating. He leans his head back and closes his eyes, not even caring for a moment about Sasori's anger. Somehow, he knows it will pass.

When he opens his eyes again, he finds that they are at Sasori's home. His heart leaps in his chest, and he looks at Sasori with hopeful eyes. Sasori doesn't return his enthusiasm, "I want to make sure you're okay tonight. I'll watch over you." He says it in a nearly robotic voice, devoid of any emotion.

They walk inside hand in hand, Sasori still keeping his distance and acting as aloof as possible. Once inside, Sasori sits Deidara on the couch and then sits on the armchair opposite him, crossing his arms and legs. That closed up position, it's so uninviting, that Deidara actually weeps. He longs to touch Sasori so badly, and seeing his refusal stirs something inside Deidara. He's embarrassed for a split second, but then the tears sort of feel good – hot and wet and rolling down his skin like a cascading waterfall, tingling his cheeks.

"Naruko, please don't cry," Sasori says, still not budging from his position. But his voice has changed, there's an echo of empathy there.

"I-I'm sorry. Are you really that angry un?" He bites his tongue a little, he let his own personality slip out again…lately, it's been difficult to act as Naruko around Sasori. Being under the influence makes it even harder for Deidara to act like Naruko.

"I'm more upset with Konan that you…although I guess she didn't realize what you meant to me. But I am mad with you too," Sasori admits, crossing his arms tighter as if to prove his point.

Deidara cries a little harder, although he knows he should've expected this, "I-I just wanted to help you."

"I know. I just don't understand it Naruko. Why would you go through all that trouble? We barely know each other…and now you're involved in something really dangerous. I never wanted that for you. I can handle it on my own," Sasori says, finally unfolding his arms and relaxing a little.

"I just…I have this bad habit of wanting to help those that are close to me, no matter what the cost," Deidara says. This statement is true, it's the reason he decided to become a cop. And he really does want to help Sasori, more than anything. His heart aches for Sasori to be set free, seeing him trapped in this organization is too much for him to bare.

Sasori gets up and sighs, then sits down next to Deidara. He keeps his distance, wary of what the drug might make him do. "I shouldn't be so angry with you I guess…I know you want to help, and you're a lot braver and tougher than I thought. But still, I can't help but want to protect you. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Sasori," Deidara leans in closer and grabs his thigh, feeling adrenaline pulse through his veins. His member twitches uncomfortably in the gaff, reminding Deidara that he has to be careful here; he can't go too far with Sasori or else he'll reveal to him the truth – that he isn't a she.

Sasori eyes Deidara's hand on his leg carefully, "This is the drug. I can't do anything with you while you're like this, it would be wrong."

"Please," Deidara is begging, "All I want is to kiss you…we can stop there. I want to kiss you even when I'm sober."

"Really?" Sasori smiles, losing all conviction of his anger.

"Yes. I always want to kiss you."

"But now you want to do more. The temptation is too great…and if we make out, then I might give in to temptation too…and I don't want to do anything that you'll regret." Sasori says. Deidara's heart clenches – he's being so kind and considerate, he really does care about Naruko.

But Deidara can't take no for an answer, not tonight. His hands slide up Sasori's body, and he leans in forward, burying his head in Sasori's neck first. He wants to taste him everywhere. His tongue pokes out and he delivers sloppy kisses around Sasori's soft, pale skin. Sasori moans, and tries halfheartedly to push Deidara off of him.

But Deidara refuses to move away. He trails his lips up to Sasori's ear and blows into it softly, eliciting a stifled scream from Sasori. "P-Please Naruko," Sasori groans. "We can't."

"We can," Deidara corrects, sitting in Sasori's lap and hushing him by kissing him on the mouth, tangling his fingers in Sasori's magnificent red hair. His tongue is dancing with Sasori's again, and this time, Sasori gives in. Deidara moans softly into Sasori, and Sasori squeezes him, wrapping his arms around his body. He then intertwines his fingers in Deidara's blonde hair. He twirls some blonde strands around his finger, and Deidara pushes himself further into Sasori, kissing him hard. He loves it when his partner plays with his hair.

Every movement, every touch, every moan is heightened times a million by lure, and Deidara can't stop. He's in space, surrounded by twinkling stars and a fiery red sun – Sasori. He's drawn in by this sun, this ball of warmth and light and fire. As Sasori's tongue licks around the inside of his mouth, exploring eagerly, Deidara sneaks his hands under Sasori's shirt. His skin is hot, nearly feverish with arousal. Deidara rips it off Sasori, letting his fingers slither up and down his chest, feeling every ridge, and resting on his nipples. And Deidara is floating through space again, at warp speed, with his thumbs circling over Sasori's nipples and Sasori growling like a hungry animal beneath him. Sasori bites Deidara's bottom lip playfully and Deidara sees stars.

Deidara leans back and moans loudly, panting fast. "S-Sorry Naruko, I got a little carried away," Sasori says, thinking that Deidara must be in pain from his little bite.

But Deidara loved it. And he wants more. "Keep biting me," Deidara commands, leaning back in and crushing his lips against Sasori's, quieting his guttural noise of surprise. Sasori nibbles at Deidara's lip again, which sends Deidara to the moon with ecstasy. His member is bulging and tight, begging to be released from the chains of the gaff. Deidara closes his legs, trying to hide his arousal. But he wants more of Sasori, so much more that it pains him. Curse that damn drug.

They continue to make out, Deidara still flowing somewhere through time and space, amidst a cloud of shining stars. Sasori's hands cup Deidara's padded bra gingerly, squeezing slightly. Deidara almost laughs at the irony, he's itching to take off the damn bra and have Sasori touch him for real, rub his hands dexterously along his chest and maybe even suck on his nipples. Instead, he moans and whines softly into Sasori, lustful and full of yearning. Sasori pulls on Deidara's tongue, and then softly sinks his teeth around it, biting gently. Deidara's legs open in response, and his body pulses forward involuntarily. He can feel Sasori's hardness.

His groin rubs up against Sasori, and Sasori's eyes fly open in surprise. Deidara's heart jumps into his throat with panic, and he immediately parts from their kiss, pushing away from Sasori and saying frantically, "Ah – you're right – we shouldn't. I just – can't help myself ya know." He hopes to heaven that Sasori didn't feel anything strange when his crotch rubbed up against him…

Sasori's eyes soften with care, and Deidara sighs. "It's okay, I understand. You're right, we should wait until the time is right for that." His voice is shaky, and he licks his lips, tasting Deidara.

Deidara nods vigorously, and backs away a little further, shutting his legs together and squeezing hard, trying to calm his growing erection. Damn that was close. If they had kissed for one second longer, his secret would have surely been revealed, in a very unexpected way for Sasori.

Thankfully, it seems like Sasori didn't notice Deidara's erection. "Would you like some tea?" He suggests, "When I took the drug, I found that drinking something warm helped calm down my arousal."

Deidara nods, "How long does this thing last?"

"Depends on how much you took," Sasori says, "I coated my finger in the stuff and it lasted about 2 hours for me."

Deidara sighs with relief, it's already been almost 2 hours. Hopefully he can start to feel normal again. His head is still spinning, and he still feels high, like he's floating on his own personal cloud.

Sasori was right about the tea, the warmth engulfs Deidara's entire body and he sighs heavily, feeling completely relaxed. His head starts to feel less fuzzy, and his thoughts start to form more clearly. "Thank you," Deidara says. Sasori is sitting across from him again, and he raises his mug up, acknowledging Deidara's gratitude.

Deidara wraps his hands around the warm mug, "Sorry about that…I went a little crazy there."

"It's okay, that's what lure does to you – it brings out your deepest, honest desires," Sasori says.

Deidara blushes, thinking about that statement. But it also raises some serious questions, "Isn't that dangerous though? This drug…people might try to use it to rape people."

Sasori sets his mug down on the coffee table, "That's true, but the difference between this drug and a date-rape drug is that you're still conscious and aware when you take lure…your body craves the pleasure, but you're still able to control your own movements."

Deidara nods, "Yeah, that's true. Hidan tried to seduce me before you got there, but I was able to push him away."

Sasori chokes on his drink a little, and then hammers it down with a slap on his chest, "He did what?!" he looks enraged.

Deidara bites his bottom lip, he probably shouldn't have admitted that, "He put his hands on my waist, but I pushed him away. His friend Kakuzu laughed at him."

Sasori has a murderous look on his face, "I'm gonna kill that bastard."

"No, that's not necessary. I would never let him lay a hand on me again. Did I forget to mention that I also slapped his face?" Deidara adds.

Sasori smirks and says, "That's why I like you Naruko. I wish I could've seen that."

Deidara smiles genuinely and takes another sip of his tea. "Anyways," Sasori says, seeming much calmer, "You should probably get some sleep, I'll let you take my bed and I can sleep on the couch."

Deidara opens his mouth to protest, thinking that they can sleep in the same bed just fine, but after their intense make-out session, he knows it's probably futile. They both want more, and they know it. He has to resist temptation. "I'm a guest here, I don't mind sleeping on the couch," Deidara finally says.

"No, don't be silly. Come," Sasori insists, holding out his hand.

Deidara takes it, feeling his heart swell again, "Wow, thanks. How are you so nice?"

Sasori laughs, "Are you surprised by my kindness? I guess I was a little mean when we first met."

"Yeah. But deep down, you're really just a big softie," Deidara says with a smile.

"I am not a softie," Sasori denies, "I'm only nice to those who deserve it."

A small crack forms in Deidara's heart. He knows he doesn't deserve Sasori's kindness, not one bit.


	9. Naruko is a Man!

Deidara wakes up feeling thoroughly refreshed the next morning, there's no 'hangover' feeling from that drug at all. He gets up and adjusts his padded bra, which got a little lopsided while he was sleeping. It's a good thing he decided to sleep separately from Sasori after all.

He recalls the events last night, remembering in detail his close brush against Sasori's thigh that could've blown his cover. When Sasori's eyes popped open, he thought for sure that Sasori had felt his erection graze up against him…but maybe Deidara was just imagining things.

He walks out into the kitchen, feeling slightly embarrassed by his behavior, wondering how he'll confront Sasori about it all. There's still much they need to discuss.

He finds Sasori already awake, brushing in a few strokes of paint on the canvas, perfecting the sunset that still needed much work. Damn, Deidara nearly forgot about that stupid art assignment.

"Hi," Deidara says, then clears his throat, realizing how scratchy and dry it sounds after sleeping in.

"Good morning," Sasori hums, putting down the paintbrush. "I made breakfast."

"Oh," Deidara takes a sniff of the air, his mouth watering, "You shouldn't have."

"I hope you like eggs," Sasori smiles.

They sit down at the table, eating in silence for a few minutes. Then Sasori clears his throat and says tentatively, "So…about yesterday."

"Again, I'm sorry for jumping you like that. I should've listened," Deidara says quickly, turning hot just thinking about it.

"No, it's alright. I understand what that drug does, and it's not like I regret making out with you, so don't think that," Sasori says, wiggling an eyebrow up suggestively. Deidara laughs at that – Sasori can truly be dorky sometimes. "But," Sasori's voice is more serious, "There's something I want to ask you…and I want you to tell me the truth."

Deidara's heart leaps in his throat, "Okay."

"Um," Sasori blushes, "I don't know how to put this exactly…and I do remember you telling me on our date yesterday that you have secrets…and I sort of put it together when we were kissing and I felt something…something that a woman shouldn't have…" It isn't a question, it's a statement. Deidara realizes with horror that Sasori _did_ in fact feel it – he was just waiting for Deidara to sober up completely before bringing it up. Oh dammit.

Deidara can't pretend anymore. He's at a loss for words, staring at Sasori like a deer in headlights, face bright red.

But Sasori reaches out a hand and pats Deidara's trembling one. "It's okay Naruko. I won't tell a soul. You're transgender, aren't you?"

Deidara almost laughs out of sheer unbridled shock at that question. He didn't expect Sasori to come up with that conclusion, not in the least. How far down will Deidara's ditch of lies go? Here's Sasori giving him a rope, another lie, for him to cling onto…and he has no choice but to take it. He's an officer of the law, not some student in a relationship…his work is his priority, not his ever growing feelings for the man before him.

"Y-yes," Deidara finally chokes out, hoping that he can act the part he was just given.

Sasori holds Deidara's hand firmly, "I know you didn't want me to find out like that, so I'm sorry for that-"

"No please! Don't apologize," Deidara feels horrible having Sasori apologize to him like that, "This is my fault. I shouldn't have, ya know, grinded up on you like that. But now you know…and I understand if it freaks you out…" Deidara looks up at Sasori through downcast eyes, half hoping that Sasori will end things with him, to save himself from sure heartbreak. But of course, Sasori is too kind for that.

"Why would that bother me?" Sasori says, tilting Deidara's chin up to look at him, "I like you for _you._ Not for your gender or for what you look like. I'm bisexual, so it doesn't matter to me what you have down there…" Sasori blushes and adds, "I'm no good at talking about this stuff, sorry if I'm being insensitive."

"You're not, please stop apologizing, it's fine," Deidara says, blushing all over, "It's a bit of a relief actually, to tell you the truth. I've been wanting to tell you…but didn't know how."

"Well, you don't have to get into the details of it all if you don't want," Sasori says kindly, "If this conversation is uncomfortable for you, we can talk about something else. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't imagining things last night."

"You weren't," Deidara laughs, easing his nerves a little. All he can do in awkward situations sometimes is laugh, "That was my big dick you felt rubbing up against you."

Sasori bursts out laughing along with Deidara, both replaying that moment in their mind's eye. "Oh man, I was so shocked!" Sasori says. "It's a relief to know I'm not crazy!"

Their giggles soon subside, and they both look at each other with admiration, faces flushed and smiles warm, both relieved. Deidara squeezes Sasori's hand back, "I am glad you know a little bit more about me…" his voice trails off. There's so much more he wants to say, but can't.

"So, is Naruko your real name?" Sasori asks.

"Um…" Deidara isn't sure how to answer that. He doesn't want to come up with a fake boy name now too…this lie can't possibly get any worse, can it?

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me. All in good time," Sasori says.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions though… are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have time to get to know you," Sasori blushes slightly, "I mean, we are going on a second date someday soon. And then hopefully a third."

"And perhaps a fourth one after that. Yes, I see what you mean," Deidara says. Sasori nods in agreement.

Deidara smiles, relieved that Sasori hasn't seen through this massive lie. Deep down, the torment is already killing him, ripping a hole from the inside out.

He better solve this crime, and do it fast.

….

Once back at Sakura's place, Deidara barely has a moment to collect his thoughts before he gets a phone call from an unknown number. He answers hastily, recognizing the voice on the other end and sighing in relief – it's Itachi. He must've gotten his number from Konan (he vaguely remembers giving her his number last night at some point before Sasori came in).

"Can we meet somewhere in private?" Itachi asks, "If you're going to investigate in this matter, then I have some things to tell you…but we have to be completely secluded."

"Sure," Deidara thinks for a moment, "why don't you come to the park on Westmore square?"

"It's a public park, that's the very opposite of where I want to meet," Itachi says.

"Well, it will be less suspicious for two college students to meet in a park. We can find a secluded bench and talk things over, pretend like we're studying. If we meet in a dark alleyway and anyone sees us, then that would be very suspicious."

"Hm," Itachi considers this, "Good point. Alright."

"I am a professional," Deidara boasts.

"Fine, meet me there in 30 minutes," Itachi says, not bothering to ask if Deidara will come or not. Deidara agrees though, he can't pass up an offer like this.

…

Deidara finds Itachi seated at a circular table alone under the shade of a tree. Deidara feigns excitement and bounces over, giving him a hug. There's a few people playing around in the park, throwing Frisbees to their dogs or walking around the tiny pond.

Itachi hugs him back, although his movements are tentative. "This is annoying," he whispers. Deidara laughs, there's that bitter Uchiha that reminds him so much of Sasuke.

He takes a seat across from Itachi and places a textbook on the table and then gets out his notebook paper, where he plans to write down all of Itachi's information. "Anyways," Deidara says, "This way, people won't come up and bother us. It'll look like we are just studying and taking notes."

"Right," Itachi says, dropping his voice to a whisper despite the fact that no one is in earshot of them, "I have a lot to tell you."

"Good, let's get started," Deidara says, dropping his voice low too.

"So," Itachi says, "I'm not sure where to start, so I guess I'll start with the mastermind behind this whole operation…his name is Madara Uchiha."

"Uchiha? So wait…he's related to you?" Deidara does all he can to keep his voice down.

"Yes…unfortunately. He's my estranged great uncle. Our family doesn't keep their ties with him…my brother Sasuke hasn't even met him. But he targeted this school because of me…he knew I'd work for him if he had the right motivation on me…"

"So, it is blackmail?" Deidara asks.

"Yes. He has a way, somehow, of finding everyone's weakness in our group. That's how he recruits us. He's obsessed with money and power, he found out about this drug lure and quickly tracked down the man who manufactured it. That man works for him now. Madara has total control of the drug, and he's planning to expand his business across the country."

"What sort of blackmail is it?" Deidara wants to know.

"He already knew my weakness when he recruited me. He sent me pictures of Sasuke. Some were on campus, and some were at his house. He would go as far as hurting his own family to get his way…so I had no choice but to do what he wanted. He sent a warning that if I went to the cops, he would know…and he wouldn't hesitate to kill Sasuke. He told me I had to recruit others…and so I went to Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato. They were three best friends that I saw in a few of my classes, and I knew they were the type that would help out anyone in trouble…but I never realized what Madara would do to them…" Itachi looks furious, his fist is balled up, knuckles turning white. There's that name Yahiko again…Deidara doesn't recall meeting anyone by that name at Konan's place, but he does remember Itachi mentioning him.

"What did he do?"

"We operated for about a month, just the four of us together. Madara promised me that he would let me end this business of selling drugs if I met a certain price…he wanted $5,000 at that time. If I could just sell enough, with the help of those three, then I could stop…that's what he said, at least. He said that he wanted to test this drug out, and see how popular it would be on campus. When the drug turned out to be extremely popular, Madara didn't want to stop at $5,000. He kidnapped Yahiko, and told Nagato and Konan that they needed to make even more money…and so the business inevitably grew. Next, Tobi joined us, and soon got pictures of someone named Rin, with the same warning I received. Then, Hidan and Kakuzu, then Kisame, and finally Sasori joined our ranks. Once they were roped in, Madara would immediately find dirt on them somehow, and blackmail them to stay." Itachi grit his teeth, thinking about the whole ordeal seemed to make him angrier.

"How does he get dirt on everyone? Is there a spy?" Deidara wonders.

"That was my thought too. I began to distrust everyone in our group, and I isolated myself from my family, hoping to keep them safe by distancing them from this mess. I know Sasuke is angry with me…but I can't stand being around him when I know his life is in danger…and it's all my fault. I don't have any idea who the spy could be...it might be someone in our group, pretending to work on our side of things…or it could be someone lurking around us, there's thousands of students on campus after all…I thought if I could just figure it out, I could take that person and hand him over to the police before Madara finds out, and then the whole gang would get busted. I'm sure to pay the price for my crimes as well, but I don't care. I just can't let anything happen to my brother." Itachi says, letting a lone tear roll down his cheek.

Deidara grabs Itachi's hand, trying to comfort him. Itachi pulls away, but not before Deidara sees the ring, "Hey, about that ring…why do all of you wear one?"

"Oh," Itachi looks at his red pendant, "That reminds me, I have yours. It's part of the initiation, and it's supposed to be a code for those interested in buying so that they can spot us easily. We aren't supposed to ever take it off, no matter where we go." Itachi pulls out a turquoise ring, with the same odd symbol that Deidara's seen on the others.

Deidara inspects the ring for a moment before putting it on his right index finger, "What happens if I take it off?"

"Then you're out of the group. It's ill advised. If anyone in the group sees you without it, the word will surely get back to Madara, and then…who knows what will happen."

"Don't you think it's odd? I mean, I understand that it's a way to target customers…but to have such a strict rule about wearing it _all_ the time?" Deidara finds this suspicious.

"Well, we're supposed to sell on and off campus. Wherever we go. Madara wants us to take risks," Itachi explains.

"Where does this Madara live? Where can we find him?" Deidara wonders. If he can just get right to the source, then he can end this misery sooner than later.

"He moves his base of operations. I'm the only one he meets in the group, as far as I can tell. I handle taking the money to him, and receiving the drugs from him too. No one else in the group has even met him," Itachi says.

"I see…so in a way, you're the ring leader of the small group, but the others think it's Konan?" Deidara wonders.

"That's right. She took on a leadership role herself when her boyfriend Yahiko was taken. She's been desperate to get him back," Itachi's hands are shaking now, "And it's all my fault…"

"Itachi," Deidara doesn't try to comfort him again, he isn't sure what to say or do. "I promise I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I never realized that a kidnapping was involved before now. This is an urgent matter. I'll bring Yahiko home. Where was the last place you met Madara?"

"He has me meet him in various abandoned buildings or alleyways, usually somewhere downtown. There's always a bunch of big bodyguards and thugs near him, he's made it impossible for me to try to snoop around or do anything to him. I was warned that if I brought any company along, no matter who it is, he'll shoot them on the spot," Itachi warns.

"Yes, of course. Sounds like a careful mobster to me…and does he search you each time for a wire?" Deidara inquires.

"Yes, I get a thorough pat-down before I can see him."

"Alright, I expected as much. Our team will find a way in. All we need is to find the location of his base of operations, and then we should be golden. Thank you so much Itachi. Is there anything else you wanted to add? What did you guys discuss at the meeting that I missed?" Deidara asks while furiously scribbling every detail down in his notepad.

"We just talk over how much we earned in the week, and see who's selling the most. Sasori's been having a difficult time of sales, in case you wanted to know. Other than that, I think that's about it. I won't be meeting with him again until a week or so. He gives me a text from a different number each time, detailing a time and place," Itachi says.

"Okay. Tell me when you get that text."

"Alright…" Itachi looks hesitant, "It's heavily guarded though…they have a lot of heavy duty weapons too. Illegal stuff."

"Yup. Don't worry. This is in our hands now. Thank you for your help Itachi," Deidara says, mustering as much confidence as he can.

…..

"So you have your ring now…I guess that means you're official," Sasori says a few days later. They decided to meet up at his place again to work on their project and discuss everything.

"Yeah," Deidara flashes the ring to Sasori, "I like the color."

"Yeah, it suits you well," Sasori compliments, "But still…that's not the only thing you'll be receiving…" His eyes are full of worry and concern. "I still think you made a big mistake Naruko…"

"I know," Deidara responds, "I just…couldn't watch you suffer alone. Now we're in this together."

Sasori still looks worried, and deeply saddened. Deidara knows why now – he knows that soon, he'll probably receive a letter from someone anonymous, with pictures of someone he cares about. There's no doubt in Deidara's mind that he'll receive pictures of Sasori, with a warning. He's sure his form of blackmail will revolve around his intense care for Sasori.

But he's going to fix things before this gets out of hand. He's going to find a way to get into Madara's base of operations, and take him out.

Jiraiya is reading through any and all files he can find on Madara Uchiha at this very moment. Once he zeroes in on locations, then a team of cops can scope them out and find this man. They'll send all the experts to find him and to rescue Yahiko as well.

Deidara just has to bide his time until then, and continue playing as Naruko until he hears more information from Jiraiya. It's nerve wracking, being so close to finally unraveling this case.

He tries to focus on the painting in front of him, but the red strokes of paint remind him of blood, and the sunset suddenly looks eerie, almost sinister. He puts his paintbrush down, "Why don't we go out and do something fun ya know? I think we're both a little tense with everything."

"Sure," Sasori says, getting up.

…..

Deidara and Sasori hold hands as they walk through a small park together, listening to the chirping of the birds, trying to ease their minds. Sasori has been very quiet and contemplative the whole day, and Deidara wonders what he's been thinking. Does he know that he'll most likely be the target of Deidara's blackmail? Is he regretting going out with Deidara/Naruko? Is he unsettled by the fact that Naruko is actually a man?

Before Deidara can ask any of these questions, he spots Tenten. She's sitting on a bench alone, looking forlorn. Deidara knew he would find her eventually, as they had agreed to do a fake transaction together in order for Tenten to bring the drug in for testing in the lab. He just didn't expect to see her so soon.

"Oh hey," Deidara says, feigning surprise, "that's my good friend Tenten, can I go say hi?"

"Sure," Sasori says, "I'll stay here and feed the ducks."

"Nonsense, you can come too. I actually…I think maybe I can even sell to her," he says.

Sasori looks shocked, "That innocent looking girl over there? You want to sell drugs to her? Right here in broad daylight?!" he's beside himself.

"Yeah, just watch," Deidara says, sauntering over to Tenten.

Tenten looks up and acts surprised to see Naruko waltzing over, "Oh hi Naruko!"

"Hey Tenten! How are you?" Deidara asks in a very high pitched girly tone. Sasori stands back, watching the encounter from a distance with a look of skepticism. Deidara takes a seat next to her on the bench, smiling widely.

Tenten gives a half-smile, "I'm okay."

"How's Neji?" Deidara asks, scripting their rehearsed conversation.

"Oh…well…he and I haven't been on good terms lately," Tenten says sadly. This is not true of course, Tenten and Neji have been happily married for some time now. But this was her idea, to take a spin on the drug that can help out lovers in need.

"What's the problem?" Deidara asks, being nosy. He hears Sasori emit a noise of surprise behind him.

"Well…it's a little embarrassing," Tenten looks down in her lap. Deidara admires her good acting skills.

"Is it…" Deidara lowers his voice, and notices Sasori creep a little closer to them to hear, "problems in the bedroom?"

Tenten nods, "I feel like…we've lost that spark, you know? It's always the same…"

Deidara wraps an arm around her, bringing her in closer, "I think I can help. Have you heard of lure?"

"No…is that a drug?" Tenten asks skeptically.

"Sort of. It's really nice though, and it helps with making things more passionate in the bedroom. If you and Neji agree to do it together, it just might save your relationship," Deidara offers. "I've done it myself, and it worked wonders." He winks at her, and hears Sasori nearly choke behind him with disbelief.

"How much is it? Are there any side effects? I trust you Naruko…but I've never tried anything like that before," Tenten says.

"No side effects. Just take a small amount and you and Neji won't be able to keep your hands off each other. It's $50 a bag," Deidara says, "but I'll cut you a deal for $45 if you'd like. And you're in luck, I have some with me right now."

Tenten pulls out a wad of cash and they make the transaction, quick so no one else sees. Deidara can sense Sasori gasping behind him. Deidara makes his goodbye with Tenten and gets up, grabbing the stunned redhead's hand again and leading him away.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" Sasori asks.

"I told you, I knew she would buy. She's not a big risk taker, but she always listens to my advice. And she's quite rich too," Deidara explains, tossing some blonde hair back from his face.

"You up sold her, you lied. A bag of lure is usually $40. If she finds out—"

"Tenten is careful. If she wants more, she'll come to me. She won't ever find out the real price because she won't ever talk about it with anyone else. Trust me," Deidara says.

Sasori blinks twice, "You're truly amazing."

"I'm not amazing," Deidara says, trying not to feel flustered. This was all a trick, and Sasori fell for it. Everything is a trick. Deidara tries not to think about it. "I just know her, that's all."

"Well still," Sasori says, "maybe with you by my side, we really will make a difference and raise more money."

"Yeah," Deidara agrees, "that's the end goal. To get you out of this horrible mess as soon as possible."

Sasori squeezes Deidara's hand and stops walking, making Deidara stop in his tracks too. "What?" Deidara asks.

Sasori looks at Deidara straight on, "I'm just so grateful. I've never had anyone care about me this much before…and we're still only getting to know each other, but I already have a great feeling about this. About us." Sasori smiles widely, looking down at their clasped hands and then back at Deidara's blue eyes. Deidara's stomach cringes, his heart whimpers. He feels like crying and telling Sasori the truth about everything, coming clean about his undercover operation right here at the park. But he holds back and bites his tongue. He would lose his job, and possibly ruin this case if he did that…

Sasori brushes some blonde hairs out of Deidara's face, softly with his thumb. Then he leans in and kisses Deidara tenderly – a quick yet charged lip lock. Deidara's lips yearn for more, it feels like a pulse of pure energy every time Sasori kisses him. "Thank you Naruko. I'm glad we came out here for a walk, I do feel better."

Deidara nods slowly, but deep down, he's feeling worse than before.


	10. Lakeshore

Deidara drums his fingers on the table, discussing things over with Jiraiya again. Shikamaru is seated near them with his laptop laid out on the table, head bent over the tiny ring that Deidara received from Itachi a few days ago.

"So, the results came back from the lab. I'm glad you were able to get your hands on that drug, the chemists were able to do a thorough scope on it and figure out the compounds. Turns out, if someone were to take too much of that drug, or too many doses, it could fry their brain. So even though there are no immediate side effects, the long terms effects are dangerous. Not to mention this drug could easily be used as a date-rape drug," Jiraiya says while flipping through some files.

"Wow," Deidara says, "We need to get this drug off the streets then before it spreads."

"Exactly," Jiraiya agrees, "this needs to end here. Now, about Madara – "

"Ah-ha!" Shikamaru interrupts Jiraiya's train of thought, "I knew it. This ring is bugged. It tracks your every move."

"I thought so too," Deidara says, "That's why I wanted to meet in a public place. I can't go to the station wearing this thing, Madara will catch on and do something about it."

"Yeah, good hunch," Jiraiya says, "Now Shikamaru, can you locate the source of the tracker from that ring?"

"Working on it now," Shikamaru says, mumbling under his breath "troublesome."

Jiraiya turns back to Deidara, "So anyways, once we pinpoint Madara's location using this ring, we can bust in and rescue Yahiko and cuff up Madara. Piece of cake."

"Not exactly," Deidara says, "Itachi said the place is heavily guarded. And he moves his base of operations every so often as well. We need to be careful, scope it out accordingly un."

"Yes, of course, we'll have the best for this job, I already briefed Tsunade on it," Jiraiya assures him.

"I know. Alright. So then what happens to everyone in the gang? I mean, they were all blackmailed…"

Jiraiya sighs, "I had a feeling you'd get attached. They'll all have to answer to their crimes regardless. Probably do a few months of jail time, nothing too hard like prison though since they were all forced. Maybe the judge will give them community service or a year of probation. That's all to be determined. For now, our main focus is finding and capturing the boss Madara."

Deidara sighs, trying hard not to think about Sasori sitting in a jail cell or doing hundreds of hours of community service. "The sooner we find him, the better."

….

"Damn, this really did take us forever," Sasori says, leaning back into his chair, looking relieved.

Deidara smiles, "Yeah, but it looks great. Eternal and momentary art, two beautiful pieces." The sunrise and sunset paintings are finally complete, all that's left is for it to dry and then they can turn it in. Deidara knows his grade doesn't really matter, that it's all a sham, but he feels proud of their work all the same.

"Do you want to celebrate?" Sasori is eyeing Deidara with a smirk.

"What did you have in mind?" Deidara asks.

"Well, we still have a 2nd date to go on," Sasori says. "And I know just the place."

"Oh really?" Deidara is getting excited, although he knows he should probably decline this offer. There's no real reason he should go out on a second date with Sasori…he's gathered all the information he needs from him, now that he's part of this gang too. And yet, he knows he won't be able to let Sasori down. Not just yet, anyways.

"Have you ever been to the lakeshore?" Sasori asks.

"I haven't," Deidara says, thrill coursing through him. Is he really going to see Sasori in a bathing suit? Oh, this sounds too good to be true.

"It's a lot of fun, there's a big lake with a small beach side there. A lot of students go there and like to suntan or swim or take a boat out. I don't have a boat, but we can relax by the water and go swimming or something. Maybe it's a little silly, I've never been there myself. What do you think?" Sasori rambles when he's nervous, and Deidara finds this to be absolutely adorable.

"That sounds wonderful!"

…

A half hour later, Sasori and Deidara are laying out their beach towels on the small shore of sand by the lake. Deidara feels slightly uncomfortable in his bikini – a padded pink and black top and matching bikini bottoms with lace. Tenten picked a cute bikini, but Deidara feels quite exposed and vulnerable like this, tucking everything in was definitely more of a challenge. He winces slightly as he sits down, careful not to damage his 'package.'

Sasori notes his careful, awkward movements, "Naruko?"

"Yes?"

"Have you…have you ever worn a bikini before?" Sasori asks awkwardly. He's wearing red and orange bathing trunks, and Deidara's been trying his hardest not to stare at his bare chest. He's as pale as blank paper, but Deidara can still see every smooth abdomen muscle. His eyes have roamed over his pert nipples countless times already, and he's taken note of Sasori's smooth, soft looking skin as well. His shocking red hair stands out against his bare chest, making him look unique, like a rare porcelain doll. He looks delicate, yet rough around the edges at the same time. Deidara loves that look.

He blinks away his fantasies and answers Sasori's question, "Um, to be honest, not in public no…" Deidara's cheeks turn red.

"I wouldn't have suggested coming here if I knew it would make you feel uncomfortable…" Sasori says, looking worried.

Deidara dismisses this crazy notion, "No, it's fine. I need some sun. And you _definitely_ need some sun."

Sasori laughs at that jab, "Hey, I've never managed to get a good tan in my life, so you better get used to this blindingly pale complexion. But anyways…" he lowers his voice and leans in close to Deidara, "Isn't it uncomfortable? Wearing those bottoms with…you know?"

Of course Sasori is curious. The news that Naruko is a man is still fresh on his mind, Deidara can't blame him for being inquisitive. Yet, he still can't help but feel embarrassed by all these questions. "A little," he finally says honestly.

"When did…did you decide to –you know – change gender?" Sasori asks curiously. "And again, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"It's alright," Deidara says, wondering how to twist up this imaginary story. "Well, I always knew I was gay, since I was young." This part is true, Deidara was never interested in the girls in his class as a kid. He even started growing out his hair long when he was little, and he would always love it when his friends braided it, or played with it. "I guess I always enjoyed wearing clothes that are feminine as well, and I would paint my nails and pull up my hair," so far, all of these things are truthful, and it feels good telling Sasori real parts of his past. "A lot of people confused me for a girl in high school," again, this is true. Deidara recalls being upset about being called a girl at first, but then he would dismiss it or even take it as a compliment. He figured it meant he had good style. "After a while, I realized that I identified more as a woman than a man." And then there's the lie. Although Deidara is gay, and although he often enjoys wearing a feminine style, he still identifies as male.

"Are you going to make a full change some day?" Sasori asks, causing Deidara to startle. Jeez, this redhead is full of questions today!

"Ah –um- well, that whole process is extremely expensive. And it's a big leap…I haven't really thought that far ahead yet ya know. I'm just taking it one step at a time," Deidara says, trying to avoid the question altogether. The thought of getting a surgery to take away his manhood…it's horrible just thinking about it. Deidara has had some pleasant times with his dick, and he plans to keep things that way. Of course, this whole conversation is hypothetical, but Deidara still feels dismayed just thinking about the possibility.

Sasori holds Deidara's hand, "Well, either way, I'll still like you. You'll always be beautiful in my eyes, no matter what."

Deidara turns away from Sasori, too flustered to say anything for a moment. "You are so…so mushy sometimes! Sometimes I can't handle it." Perhaps if he was able to be himself fully with Sasori, he wouldn't feel this sense of gnawing guilt every time Sasori says something adorable.

"Oh, sorry, was I too forward?" Sasori asks.

"No, I like it. It's just so surprising, coming from you. But in a good way. You really are a big sweetheart," Deidara says, complimenting him. "You're secretly very romantic Danna."

Sasori smirks at hearing his nickname. "I'm also known for being a devious prankster."

"Oh really? I find that hard to believe," Deidara says playfully, relieved that they are off the topic of the whole 'Naruko is transgender' thing.

Sasori gives a mischievous smirk and then lunges forward, scooping Deidara up in his arms with surprising strength for his stature. "Hey! What the hell!" Deidara cries. Sasori is holding him bridal style, cradling him in his arms for a second before he sprints off towards the lake.

"Ready for a swim?" Sasori asks teasingly. He swings his arms back and forth over the water. Although it's early spring, the lake water is surely still cold, and Deidara does not relish being thrown in there.

"Ah no! Don't you dare!" Deidara yells again. But it's futile. Sasori takes one last big swing and throws Deidara into the lake with all his might, laughing and cackling like crazy.

The water is as cold as ice, shocking Deidara to his bones. He plunges out and screams for a minute and then rushes forward, running at full speed through the thick, icy waters. He grabs Sasori's wrists, "Think you can get away that easily?" He pulls Sasori into the water with him, dunking his red head into the lake, making sure that Sasori gets covered head to toe.

When Sasori emerges, he has a huge grin on his face, and Deidara realizes that he too is smiling like a candy crazed child. They laugh hysterically and continue to horseplay, splashing each other and knocking one another back into the water, making it a competition.

After withstanding the cold water long enough, they rush back to their towels and lay down in the sun to dry off, both panting and slightly out of breath. "I guess I better watch out for your tricks," Deidara teases.

"Yup," Sasori agrees, "Especially when you say that I'm mushy and romantic."

Deidara rolls his eyes at him and laughs, "Honestly though, I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

Sasori turns on his side, propping himself up on his elbow. He leans in over Deidara, who is laying on his back, "I'm glad to hear that." He inches forward and pecks Deidara on the lips. It's a sweet and innocent kiss, but Deidara feels like the air in his lungs is knocked out nonetheless. Will he ever get used to kissing Sasori? Each time feels like the first time.

"You look breathtaking," Sasori whispers, smiling.

"Shut up," Deidara turns his face away, blushing like crazy, heart going a million miles a minute. Why does Sasori do this to him?

"I like making you blush," Sasori admits, "it's cute."

"It's even cuter when you blush though," Deidara says, looking back up at Sasori, "When your face turns as red as your hair, that's my favorite."

"What!? That doesn't happen," Sasori refuses, starting to turn red, proving Deidara's statement.

"There! You're doing it!" Deidara cries out, laughing.

"Hm, brat," Sasori says, "I bet I know more ways to make you blush than you can even count." He winks suggestively.

That shuts Deidara right up. He can feel a blush crawling from head to toe from the implications of that comment. Sasori smirks devilishly, "Ah, but I'll wait to pull those cards out later. We are in public anyways." He then moves away from Deidara and back to his towel, laying back down and looking up at the sky with a proud grin. It's clear that Sasori is very aware that Deidara is falling for him, hard. With any luck, Sasori will remember all of this when he finds out that 'Naruko' is actually an undercover cop one day…hopefully he'll recall all of Deidara's blushes and flustered looks. There's no way Deidara could've made those up.

This moment here with Sasori is perfect, and it's one that Deidara will never forget. He really has fallen for Sasori, his feelings are true.

...

 **Author's Note:** So, this chapter is mostly just fluff between Sasori and Deidara :) Sorry guys! I know their 2nd date doesn't really have much to do with the main plot, but I just really wanted a happy, fluffy, romantic time for them before things get crazy with the drama about to happen! Also, I think I am going to write a sequel for this little story, I just love this idea so much and have many more ideas to come, so I hope at least a few will continue to read this story. Thanks so much to all my readers and reviewers! You guys are awesome!


	11. Blackmail

"Oh, how lovely," Kurenai compliments their artwork, her eyes shining. "All the students really took this project to heart this year, I'm so glad. I can see you two worked well together, Sasori and Naruko. And to think I was a little hesitant to place you two in a group at first! But I'm glad I did!"

Sasori beams over at Deidara, who smiles back somewhat abashed after receiving such praise for their art from the professor. He really didn't expect her to be that amazed by two simple paintings.

"I have no doubt you'll make a great artist someday Sasori, and a wonderful teacher as well. I'd be glad to write a letter of recommendation for you if you ever need one," Kurenai says with a wink. Sasori thanks her multiple times before returning to his seat, looking a little flustered.

"Look who's the teacher's pet now," Deidara nudges Sasori playfully.

"Brat," Sasori mutters, although halfheartedly. Deidara can tell that Sasori took Kurenai's compliment to heart, hearing that from a fellow artist really meant the world to him.

Deidara feels suddenly torn. He wants to warn Sasori to get away, run away if possible and start a new life somewhere. Once Madara gets busted, Sasori is sure to be punished for his crimes, and all his dreams of becoming an art teacher will be flushed away…is Deidara really doing the right thing here? Is he really helping Sasori?

He hopes so.

…..

After class, Deidara makes up some excuse to get away from Sasori. Sasori had wanted to walk him to his next class, but Deidara needed some time alone to think.

He's feeling increasingly anxious these days, with the thought of being so close to the end of this case. It's like a looming, somber cloud hangs around Deidara's head. He knows that soon, Shikamaru and his team of tech guys will locate Madara's base. Once that happens, everything will come crashing down on all these innocent people who were forced into this gang.

After their perfect 2nd date at the lakeshore, Deidara's been feeling worse about seeing Sasori. Now that there's no pretense for seeing him, no reason to stay, the weight of all his lies has been taking a toll on him. He wants to hang out with Sasori, wants to date him, wants to kiss him and hold him and get to know him inside and out. But, he wants to do it as himself, not as Naruko.

So he resolved to take some space, and leave some distance between them for now. He still hasn't received any blackmail from Madara, so perhaps it would be safer if he stays away from Sasori to keep him safe.

He's walking around campus slowly, pondering how to tell Sasori that he needs some time apart, when he hears a familiar voice call out to him. "Oh! Miss Naruko!" it's that high-pitched, annoying tone again. It's none other than Tobi, the silly looking guy from Konan's apartment from the other night.

"Hello Tobi," Deidara greets, unenthusiastically.

"Ah, I was hoping I'd run into you!" Tobi says, hopping next to Deidara and causing a few students to turn their heads and given them quizzical looks.

"Really? Why?" Deidara wonders.

"You're new! I like to get to know the new recruits!" Tobi says, dancing around Deidara like a fool.

"Not so loud Tobi," Deidara hisses.

"Ah, sorry," Tobi says, although his volume barely changes, "I was eager to speak with you, I think you and I are alike!"

"How's that?" Deidara raises an eyebrow up at him.

"We would do anything for our beloved," Tobi says, clasping his hands together to feign romance.

Deidara rolls his eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm only involved in our little organization to help the person I care about the most in the world, and it seems you feel that way about Sasori," Tobi says.

Deidara's face turns hot. "How do you know how I feel?"

"Well, is it true? Do you love him?" Tobi asks, getting in his face again.

Deidara pushes him away, feeling his temple pulse, "I'm not answering that ridiculous question. He's a good friend of mine who I want to help, end of story."

"Ah, you're getting defensive there. I wish the person I cared for would act like that about me, although, she did tell me once that she would do all she could to protect me and watch over me," Tobi says, somewhat in a daze.

Deidara doesn't want to ask about this person, but it seems like Tobi wants him to. He sighs, about to ask Tobi about her, when Tobi awakens from his daydream and says, "Anyways, I have a class to get to, but it was nice to see you around Naruko! Let's chat real soon, okay?" He's bouncing around with hyper energy again.

"Oh, um, sure," Deidara says somewhat lamely, surprised by Tobi's drastic change in the conversation. Tobi skips off, again causing some heads to turn in his direction, before Deidara is alone again.

That encounter was certainly strange. Deidara hadn't even spotted Tobi before he called out to him, and he wonders why Tobi had asked such personal questions. Is that just the way he is? Does he interrogate everyone like that? Deidara did get the idea that Konan didn't really like him the other night…so why did Tobi join in the first place?

Deidara's head is muddled and confused once more. There's just too much to think about. Perhaps a nice night alone would do him some good. After his last few classes, he'll go to Sakura's place and get cozy in her guestroom (where he's been staying), and try to put some of the last few pieces together of this mess.

…..

"Hey Naruko, there's some mail for you on the counter," Sakura says as Deidara walks in later that day. She greets him with her heartwarming smile as usual, "I'm going out tonight, but there's some leftovers in the fridge."

"Okay, thanks," Deidara says, sifting through the mail.

There's a packet that's quite thick for him, with no return address. Deidara's heart beats fast against his chest and his lungs seem to fail him for a moment – he already knows what this is. He hurries to Sakura's guest bedroom and opens the package up in a frenzy, dumping all the photos out on the floor, seeing a blur of red.

Of course it's pictures of Sasori, who else would it be?

But it still makes Deidara's pulse rise with fear, and he goes through each photo, one by one, with shaking fingers, too numb to utter a sound.

There's a picture of Sasori at his house. A picture of Sasori walking casually to class.

Deidara's heart skips a beat.

There's a picture of the two of them kissing at the park, from just a few days ago.

He lingers on that photo for a few seconds, wondering who was there with them that day. He should've taken a better look at his surroundings. Was this person hiding in the bushes? Looks like it from the camera angle…

The next photo shows the two of them splashing around in the lake water on their date. Deidara's heart is in his throat now, and tears start to prick at his eyes. How could he be so careless? He should've known that someone was watching him, he should have prevented this!

He flips to the next photo and almost cries out loud in horror.

It's a picture of Sasori with his mouth clamped shut by a large gloved hand, but the captor isn't visible in the photo. Sasori's brown eyes are panicked, fear written clearly upon his face.

The next photo reveals an unconscious Sasori in the back of a car trunk, bound and tied, head lolling to the side like a ragdoll.

Deidara's entire body is quivering with dread and anger. The last thing he pulls out is a letter, on which is written:

Welcome to the club Naruko. You seemed too eager to join for my taste, so I figured I would take things into my own hands. Sasori will remain safely in my custody until you can gain a revenue of $10,000 for me. If you attempt to take this to anyone, or go to the cops, then I will kill him instantly. I will know.

Deidara clenches his fist and punches the pillows on Sakura's bed. How could he let this happen!? He should've known something like this might happen…should've never let Sasori out of his sight! He was a fool to let Sasori walk home alone today! A fool to even have thought that taking time apart was a good idea!

The time to find Madara's hideout is now.


	12. Rescue Mission

Deidara quietly scales the side of the building, hiding behind the bushes as he goes. It's lucky they have Shikamaru on their squad as the tech guy – he was able, somehow, to locate the tracking source of the ring that Deidara is supposed to be wearing. He's left it at Sakura's house, hoping that whoever is monitoring him will assume that Naruko is at home for the night.

Shikamaru also planted a tiny, microscopic camera on a robotic bug that they sent scoping throughout the building. Deidara was stunned to hear of Shikamaru's newest invention. It looks like any other normal bug, one that Deidara would most certainly squish with his boot if he ever saw it crawling around his place. But the tiny bug was remote controlled, and Shikamaru had it sneak around through the shadows of Madara's hideout, getting a rough layout of what's inside. He was able to secure the number of guards and even figure out where the victims were held captive.

Once this information was relayed, they set out a plan. Deidara begged Tsunade to be on the team, and she allowed it under the condition that Jiraiya come with him. As a new officer, Deidara hasn't been on a big crime bust like this yet.

So now, after hours of nerve wracking planning and toiling, Deidara is finally here. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, sweat covering his brow, but his breathing calm and even as he tries to stay focused. He's determined to find Sasori and end this madness once and for all.

The building isn't too big, an old warehouse that's run down with the windows boarded up – a perfect spot for a drug lord. But Deidara knows he has to be careful, or else his cover will be blown.

Yet he feels a little ridiculous, holding his gun and wearing a skirt. He's still pretending to be Naruko, just in case he is caught – he can feign innocence, and make something up before the rest of the officers come in.

Jiraiya is trailing right behind him a few paces back, hidden in the shadows of the building. During their scope of the area ahead of time, they looked for any sign of cameras – there were none. It seems that Madara is confident in his body guards' abilities. Most of the large guards are inside the building, each armed with 2-3 guns. Thanks to Shikamaru, they have a pretty good idea of where the guards will be, and how to navigate through the warehouse.

Deidara finally finds what he's looking for, a rusted back door to the building, one that leads to a small storeroom with only one guard. If they can take him out quietly, they'll have the advantage of coming upon Madara by surprise. That's where Jiraiya's skill set will come into play.

Deidara turns the handle slowly, careful not to make any creaking sounds. It's locked, of course. He beckons Jiraiya forward with one hurried gesture as he pulls out a pick from the pack around his waist. The most useful ability Deidara learned during the police academy was how to pick any lock. His dexterous hands are perfect for this job. He twiddles with the lock for a few seconds before he hears that unmistakable click.

Jiraiya nods, pulling his gun and his baton out at the ready. Deidara turns the handle and pushes the door open quickly, hearing a sound of surprise on the other end. Before the guard can pull up his gun, Jiraiya is upon him, knocking him out with one forceful blow of his baton. The buff-built guard sways on the spot for a split second before beginning to fall over. Jiraiya catches him in his arms, helping him to the floor so he doesn't make any loud crashing sounds.

Deidara and Jiraiya then sweep over to the next door, which they know leads down a vast hallway, with several doors on either end. The door is open a crack, so Jiraiya looks out carefully. He holds up three fingers. That means there's three guards there. They are outnumbered.

Jiraiya pulls something out of his pocket, looking to Deidara for reassurance. Deidara nods, and Jiraiya bends down, and rolls the can of fog out the door. In an instant, the three guards are choking and spluttering through the smoke, and Deidara and Jiraiya bust through the door, guns raised up.

Deidara's heart is pounding in his chest as he storms through the hallway. Jiraiya already took out one guard in a flash, so they're down to two. Deidara grapples with one, trying to knock him on the head with the butt of his gun. The guard reacts quickly though, striking Deidara on the shoulder and pushing him back roughly. Deidara cries out and kicks his leg up, colliding with the guard's chest. Jiraiya swings in from behind, knocking the guard unconscious with his baton.

Deidara coughs and waves some smoke out of his face, "where's the third guard? Did you get him?" His shoulder is surging with pain that he ignores.

"No, I thought you got him," Jiraiya says as the smoke begins to fade, "Dammit. He must've gotten away."

Deidara feels a pinch of guilt in his stomach – if he was able to take out his own guard in time, Jiraiya wouldn't have been distracted by helping him out. His moves are rusty, he's too jumpy and nervous with the thought of Sasori in danger.

"It's okay," Deidara says, trying to assuage his own doubt. By now, that other guard is certainly warning Madara of their intrusion. This definitely puts a strain on their time.

"I'm going to call for backup," Jiraiya says, pulling out his walkie-talkie.

"We aren't supposed to do that until we locate Madara's position," Deidara reminds him. Madara could be in any of the numerous rooms ahead of them, he never seems to stay still in one spot for too long.

"Things are changed now. We need to split up, Deidara. You go find Yahiko and Sasori, and I'll sneak around until I find Madara," Jiraiya says in all seriousness.

"You want me to go alone?"

"Backup will come soon," Jiraiya says. He calls it in, and then nods to Deidara before walking off, scaling the walls and looking every which way before turning the corner. Then he's gone, and Deidara is all alone.

Deidara takes a deep breath, calming his nerves. He knows the layout of this place. He knows how to get to Yahiko and Sasori, and that is his primary goal right now.

He turns the same corner as Jiraiya, making sure the coast is clear before heading down the hallway and into the 2nd door on the right.

He peeks into the tiny window of the door, and spots two guards. Of course the area with the hostages is heavily guarded, there will more than likely be more when he crosses this room as well.

He takes a deep breath, figuring that the element of surprise is his best bet to getting past them safely right now. He musters up all his energy and kicks at the door, bursting it open with adrenaline induced power. The two guards lift their guns up and fire, but Deidara dodges quickly, crouching low and hiding behind a desk. He fires his gun at their feet from under the desk, two perfect shots. It isn't lethal, but will definitely put them out of the fight indefinitely.

As they groan and curse him from the ground, gripping their feet, Deidara scurries by and heads for the basement door. He barges through, gun outstretched, pulse quickened, and runs down the stairs. His heart is hammering in his ears, his brain on overdrive as he gets closer and closer to Sasori.

There's one lone guard at the end of the stairs, and Deidara kicks him square in the chest before he can react. The guard tumbles backwards and lands on the ground with a sickening crunching sound. Then Deidara can finally get a good scope of the room. The shock of red hair in the corner startles him and he rushes over to Sasori, anger surging through his veins.

Sasori and Yahiko are tied up and gagged in the corner of the room, eyes wide with shock at what they are seeing. Deidara fumbles with the knots with shaking fingers, too distressed to look either in the eye. He finally pulls out his pocket knife and cuts them loose, removing the cloth from their mouths. Yahiko looks too frightened for words, his cheeks are hollow and emaciated. Deidara wonders for a moment how long it's been since he's had a proper meal. His eyes are nearly devoid of life, his skin is so pale and paper thin Deidara is almost afraid to touch him, fearful that he might crumble apart.

"N-Naruko!?" Sasori looks bewildered and relieved, but mostly he looks panicked, "What are you doing – ?"

"Shh," Deidara clamps his mouth shut, and gives a warning glance towards both of them, "I need you two to follow my lead and stay very quiet. With any luck, we'll be able to make it out of here in one piece without coming across another guard."

"Oh, you think you'd be that lucky?" a mocking voice rings from behind Deidara. It's a very familiar voice indeed.

He whips around and stares aghast at the speaker, "Tobi!"

"It's Obito, actually," he corrects, drawing forward with a gun pointed at them. His voice is no longer irritatingly high-pitched – it's a rough, low snarl.

"So you were the spy. You were working for Madara this whole time. I should've known," Deidara said with malice. That was why Obito had pestered him with questions about Sasori, he was gaining intel about Deidara's weakness.

"I had my suspicions about you too Naruko. Or should I say, officer?" Obito stopped moving, but his gun is still pointed dangerously at the three of them.

"Officer? What is he talking about?" Sasori asks behind Deidara. Deidara places a hand on his shoulder, not sure how to explain everything. Things are unraveling fast, and soon, Sasori will know the full truth. Yahiko stares glumly at all the events, looking half-awake.

Obito laughs maniacally, "Oh, this is rich. Sasori, you really fell for this officer's trick, didn't you? This person in front of you isn't Naruko at all, it's an undercover cop. She…or is it he? Whoever, was just fooling you to pry out information about our gang. He doesn't give a damn about you Sasori," Obito explains.

Dread rises in Deidara's throat. He shouldn't care about the petty details right now, he should be focused on finding a way out of this situation. But he was never really good at hiding his emotions, especially in the face of a ruthless criminal, "I do care about him," Deidara says through gritted teeth. He turns around to look at Sasori in the face and to tell him straight on, "I do."

Sasori has an odd look about him though. His eyes are staring off in the distance, and his mouth is slightly parted, as though a quiet gasp escaped his lips and faded in the wind. Deidara isn't sure if he's heard him, or if his mind is even anywhere in this room at that moment. He looks spacey, as though his soul has left his body…Deidara doesn't like that look, not one bit.

"Hah! How precious. The undercover cop fell for the felon, what a sad story." Obito says with a malicious grin.

"I bet you made all that stuff up about having someone you care for!" Deidara retorts back, cheeks flushed and rage boiling. He shifts his body weight in front of both victims, trying to shield them from Obito. If he can stall for time, then the three of them should be able to make it out alive and unscathed. He just has to reach for his gun at the right moment, when Obito isn't watching him like a hawk.

"Don't you _dare_ try to pretend like you know anything about Rin!" Obito's eyes flash red for a moment. Then he breathes out slowly, and diverts the conversation, "Now, I think it would be justice to kill the offender first, don't you agree officer?" Obito points his gun directly towards Sasori, and Deidara's heart leaps with terror.

Actions take over thought in moments like these. Before any sort of formulated idea pops into his mind, Deidara wraps his arms around Sasori and pushes him to the ground with all his might. The sound of the gunshot rings loudly in his ears, and there's a piercing, stabbing pain in his right arm. He grunts in response, but doesn't take his arms away from Sasori's shaking body.

They are on the floor, and the room is spinning around them. Deidara still has his body pressed over Sasori protectively, refusing to get up. Then he hears a bark of a laugh, through the dull echo ringing in his ears. He lifts his head up just in time to see someone new standing next to Obito. He has dark long hair and red, malicious eyes. His presence is overbearing and powerful, Obito steps back a few paces from him. There's no doubt it's Madara.

"So you're the one," Madara seethes, staring at Deidara. "Get up, you swine."

Deidara lifts his body up, wincing at the blasting, excruciating pain in his right shoulder. He clasps his hand over his shoulder, trying to cease the blood flow. "Madara," Deidara croaks out, leaning his body over Sasori protectively. Sasori is stunned still behind him, too scared to move a muscle, quivering with fear.

"Because of your involvement, you've ruined me. Now tell me, how many cops do you have out there? I know they've been called in for backup, how many do I have to kill?" Madara points his gun at Deidara, but Deidara doesn't say a word. Where is Jiraiya? He hopes he's alright.

"Hm, I see. You don't care about your own life, do you? Then I'll just have to kill Sasori first to get you to talk. Or, better yet," Madara points his hand gun at Sasori, "I'll give him a matching scar to yours, take him out slowly until you speak."

"Like hell I'll let you," Deidara says, shielding his good arm over Sasori, fumbling for his own gun. He whips it out and points it directly at Madara, and Madara seethes with fury.

"Now put your hands up over your head, and we can all walk out of here calmly," Deidara demands.

Madara barks out an evil laugh. "You think I'll comply easily? You forget that it's two against one. Obito?" Madara looks back at Obito, to make sure that he too has his gun outstretched and pointed at Deidara, Sasori and Yahiko. In that split second that Madara turns around, Deidara makes a snap quick decision. He lifts his arm up and points his gun to the ceiling, firing off at a loose wooden board.

He pulls back Yahiko and Sasori with his remaining strength, covering them on the ground as the ceiling caves in. There's a sickening sound of two more gunshots being fired, and Deidara hopes that they don't hit anyone. Madara and Obito cry out with shock as the rickety wooden boards of the ceiling tumble over them, with soot and ash and rubble cascading down.

Something heavy tumbles over Deidara's head, leaving an aching throb – it felt like someone had hit him with a lead pipe. He shifts his weight over the two shaking bodies beneath him protectively, disregarding the shooting, sharp pain in his right shoulder. He simply lays still, waiting for the sound of Madara or Obito. There's only an intense silence after the tumbled down ceiling ceases to fall.

Deidara's ears are ringing from the gunshot. His body is ringing too, an intensely disturbing sensation: bones, brain, heart all thrumming like a struck bell. Faintly, as though it's from far away, the unmistakable sound of pounding feet rushing down the stairs alerts him to move. There's a voice that calls out to Obito and Madara to put their hands in the air and drop the guns, but it sounds like it's coming from a mile away to Deidara.

All he can do is lay there, head shifting up curiously, his body pressed firmly against Sasori and Yahiko to make sure they're safe. But then, rough hands are on him, pulling him away from Sasori. "No!" Deidara cries, "Sasori!"

"Relax, Deidara," it's officer Kakashi, Deidara can recognize his voice, "We have Sasori, he's safe. You're bleeding profusely from your arm, take it easy."

But Deidara is slightly delusional at this point. He struggles madly against Kakashi's hold, trying to get to Sasori. He has to tell him. He has to.

"Sasori! Sasori!" his vision is blurring, and his head feels fuzzy. His arm is numb and prickling, and someone is trying to put a gauze on it, but he pulls away, still reaching for Sasori, who is being dragged up the stairs by another cop. He tries to call out to him again, but the dust floating around the air makes him gag and cough for a minute.

He looks up after his coughing spell, watching as Sasori's red hair vanishes from sight up the stairway.

"Sasori! No!" Deidara cries out one more time, voice hoarse. "Sasori!"

Then, everything turns dark.

...

 **Author's Note:** We are close to the end here folks, just one more chapter to go. But there will be a sequel yay! I've never done a sequel to any story before, so I'm excited. Anyways, I'm sure this chapter probably has a lot of errors in it regarding undercover cop missions...I don't know all that much about criminal justice or the law etc so I sort of just made a lot of stuff up, so please don't be too critical! It's all fiction anyways! Enjoy, thanks for reading! :)


	13. Probation

Deidara wakes up in a hospital bed several hours later, IV tubes connected to his arm and a heart rate monitor making consistent, steady beeps. His body feels like lead and his shoulder hurts something like hell. He breathes in a deep, rattled breath and coughs a few times, bringing stinging tears to his eyes.

Jiraiya is seated next to him, and Tsunade is at the foot of his bed, wearing a concerned look. Deidara blinks a few times after clearing his throat, and both his guests smile warmly at him.

"You alright?" Jiraiya asks, leaning in.

Deidara nods, "Wh-what the hell happened? How long have I been here?"

"Take it easy," Tsunade warns, "All in good time. We should get a nurse in here to check in on you." Tsunade exits the room, no doubt to track down a nurse.

Deidara lifts himself into a sitting position, wincing, "Where's Madara? And Sasori and Yahiko?" his voice cracks at the mention of Sasori. His heart rate monitor jumps up a pace or two as well.

"They're all in custody. So are Konan, Kisame, Obito, and the rest of the members of the gang. With that ring as a tracking device, it was easy for our team to find them all and cuff them up. You wouldn't believe how relieved some of them looked though, to hear that Madara was locked up. Madara will be in custody until his hearing next week, and he'll surely be sentenced for a long, long time," Jiraiya says.

"What about the others? They were all blackmailed, this wasn't their fault," Deidara says, already dreading the answer.

"They'll still have a punishment, although it definitely won't be as severe as what Madara's got coming to him. That's just how our justice system works – they don't take too kindly to drug activity, despite the circumstances."

Deidara already knew this, but he can't help but still feel a twist of guilt and pain thinking about Sasori being placed in a jail cell, possibly ruining his chances of ever becoming an art teacher. He suddenly lost all desire to ask Jiraiya any other questions, but Jiraiya continues regardless, "You were really brave there Deidara. When we split up, I went to the chemistry lab, thinking I would find Madara there. It seems I was too late though, he had already been alerted to our presence and went straight to the hostages, knowing that he would find the cops there. But I did find the man responsible for creating this drug, a scientist by the name of Orochimaru. Apparently, Madara took him under his control and blackmailed him to work for him as well. Once the back up team came finding me, I knew we had to backtrack to where you were, and my suspicions were right – Madara had gone right to you. I'm sorry I left you alone in there Deidara."

"It's okay," Deidara says, groaning a little as his head throbbed again, "Did Yahiko and Sasori get injured?"

"No, the only one with sustained injuries from that basement is you, Madara and Obito. It was smart to cave the ceiling in on them. They both have pretty nasty cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious. I'm glad to see that you'll make a full recovery as well," Jiraiya says.

"Yeah," Deidara's voice carries off softly as he tries to wrap his head around this whole thing. They won, he should be happy…but somehow, it doesn't feel right. Before he can say anything else, two nurses walk in with Tsunade in tow. They start fumbling with his IV tubes and one of them gives him a shot and then a glass of water, commanding that he drink. He downs the water and feels surprisingly loads better, not realizing that part of his headache was due to dehydration.

But then the nurses usher Tsunade and Jiraiya out of the room, insisting that Deidara needs his rest. He grumbles about it, but soon realizes that he is quite tired once they are gone. He closes his eyes, deciding that sleeping would be easier than trying to stay awake at this point.

There will be time to figure out the details later, for now, he can finally rest easy knowing that Sasori is safe.

/

This dimly lit and dank jail cell is all that Sasori has known for the past month. He's tried his best to stay calm, and use this time to finally read all those novels he's been putting off, or to brush up on some studies. But one thought plagues his mind constantly – Deidara.

That's what that one officer had called him, Deidara. His name isn't Naruko. He isn't a transgendered woman. He isn't even a student at the same school as Sasori.

He's a liar.

A liar and a thief of Sasori's heart. Sasori had trusted him, shared his secrets with him, and for what? To have his heart stolen, taken by an undercover cop who's main objective was to place him in this depressing jail cell.

All Sasori can feel is pure hatred, and anger, and an aching, gnawing loneliness. His mind replays his time with Naruko like a movie screen, and there's no way to turn it off. He remembers each kiss and touch in painful detail, and all of Deidara's words come spilling over him when he least expects it, and then he's drowning in sorrow. Deidara had told him he cared, that he would do anything for him, that he was happy with him…all lies. Sasori is agonizingly aware of the fact that he spent the last few months falling for someone he knew nothing about.

And the worst part is that it all felt so real. Sasori really felt like he had formed a true bond with this person, and that he had gotten close to his heart. Every once in a while, he catches himself thinking that maybe Deidara _did_ fall for him too…but then he realizes that idea is preposterous. He's an undercover cop, an officer of the law. He was just doing his job. If his job happened to include making a criminal drug dealer fall for him, then that's what it took. Sasori realizes that their entire relationship was a sham. The real Deidara is someone he knows absolutely nothing about.

Half the time he's spent in jail has been rolled up in a ball, knees tucked in, crying his eyes out. The other half, he's boiling with rage and ready to throw something, but there's nothing to throw, only stone walls and the saddest excuse for a bed and toilet in his little room. And since it's a jail cell and not prison (which he is grateful for everyday), he doesn't have anyone to talk to, save for the lone police officer that comes stumbling by every so often to check up on him and give him his meals (which are pathetic and horrendous imitations of edible fodder).

But in a way, the loneliness is a little comforting, as it allows time for him to reflect. Since his stay in jail is so short, he isn't allowed to have visitors or letters. There was one time, about a week into his jail time, that the officer on watch slipped a note to Sasori. Sasori saw that it was from Deidara, and immediately ripped it up. He was so furious, the wound in his heart still fresh, he couldn't stand to read some petty apology letter. Within the following weeks, he regretted this decision – he often ponders what that note might have said. Was Deidara truly sorry? Or was he just being courteous? Did that letter have more than just an apology? Now, Sasori will never know. But, perhaps it's better that way.

The solitude gives him time to think about everything. He does feel bad for what he's done, he already knew that this feeling of regret would come for him the moment he started selling lure. But, once he was blackmailed with pictures of his parents, he knew there was no way out.

His parents are another large portion of his thoughts these days. He hasn't spoken to them in weeks, fearful that Madara would be watching his every move, scared that they might be kidnapped next. Never in his wildest imagination did he think that he himself would end up kidnapped, and then caught for his actions.

And so, because of this, there's been a rift between himself and his family. His grandmother has been pestering him for a while now to talk to them, but he would always make up some excuse about being too busy with school. His plan was to get out of the cursed drug business and then never mention it to his parents, never let them know the trouble he had gotten himself into. But now it's too late, and their disappointment in him weighs him down like a heavy sack of lead.

During his trial, when he was sentenced to 4 weeks jail time and a year of probation, his parents and grandmother had sat in the courtroom, sobbing the whole time. His grandmother kept giving him disdainful, disapproving looks as she patted his mother on the back. Those looks haunted his nightmares in this place, and the sounds of his parents' weeping woke him up, heart pacing and soul mourning.

Sasori can't stand the fact that he let his parents down, that he caused them suffering and put their lives in danger. They never had to know about this, should never have known about his involvement with drugs.

It's all Deidara's fault.

Sasori goes through the motions numbly as an officer slides open the bars to his tiny jail cell. The officer walks him out, going on about his probation sentence. His month of jail time is up, and he's finally free to go back home. But he isn't fully free he realizes as he listens to the rules of his probation – an officer is going to check up on him weekly, and this cop can come anytime he or she wants. They're going to do routine drug tests on him too, to make sure he isn't using (which was never an issue with Sasori anyways, but now he's subjected to all this madness).

The worst part is that Sasori will have to re-take many of his classes again, as he missed 4 weeks of school. Some of his teachers were more forgiving than others, and are allowing him to take a test to pass, but a few sticklers are going to make him suffer through one more semester before he graduates. He was so close to the end, he could taste his graduation…and now it's been snatched away, along with any good chance of ever becoming an art teacher. All his dreams, gone in a flash. There's no way any respectable employer will hire an ex-criminal.

Again, this is all Deidara's fault.

Sasori doesn't even look forward to going home, and to what awaits him there. He'll have summer school, and strictly enforced curfew hours and a limit on where he can go when he isn't home. He wonders what his probation officer will be like; with any luck, maybe he'll get a nice guy who will soon realize that he isn't going to violate his probation in any way. Perhaps he can get this year of probation cut short with good behavior. He's told that his probation officer will swing by later that day at his house to greet him and do an initial inspection of his place.

When Sasori gets home, he relishes in the comfort of his living space for a moment, letting his fatigued body slump on the couch for a little while to unwind. He barely got any sleep at all in jail, and his stomach is begging him for a proper meal.

He decides to eat something first before taking a nap. He wolfs down a quick dinner and is just about to lay down in his bed and indulge in the most rewarding sleep of his life when the doorbell rings. He had almost forgotten about the probation officer.

He sighs and goes to answer it, checking himself in the mirror to make sure he looks proper and clean. If he can give this guy a good impression, then there will be nothing for him to ever be suspicious about. This whole ordeal was a misunderstanding anyways, Sasori is a victim of blackmail here, and he isn't quite sure why the law struck him down as hard as it did.

He opens the door with a smile that quickly fades when he sees who is standing at his doorstep. An odd mixture of horror, panic and a longing, agonizing ache grips his heart. Deidara gives him a sheepish half-smile before clearing his throat, "Hello Sasori."

Sasori stares blankly at him, at a loss for words. Is he really this unlucky? He has to spend the next year being watched by the person he hates, yet still has feelings for? He thinks he might prefer prison to this torture.

End

 **Author's Note:** And that will lead us into the sequel of this story! Deidara as Sasori's probation officer, oh what will happen!? And the next story will be rated M, so you all know what that means! ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing and following along with this story guys! I truly appreciate it!


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